THE rumour that the Duchess of Cambridge may not be “too posh to push” is a breath of fresh air in a world where celebrities often elect to have caesarean sections to fit around their busy schedules.

While details of the birth have been kept under wraps, it has been a talking point as to whether Kate Middleton will fly the flag for the natural birth like Princess Diana, or follow the celeb trend of C-sections, including Posh Spice, Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears.

Whatever she decides, the Duchess is said to have been using hypnobirthing, or natal hypnotherapy, during her pregnancy, a practice which is becoming popular with stars such as Nell McAndrew.

The technique uses the natural state of hypnosis, deep relaxation and the power of suggestion to “enhance” pregnancy and the “birth experience”.

Thanks to Queen Victoria, who was given chloroform in 1853 for the birth of her seventh child Prince Leopold, the use of breathable pain relief gained wider acceptance, but natal hypnotherapist Natalie Qureshi believes this also started a culture of fear surrounding labour.

Natal hypnotherapy offers CDs, books and workshops for pregnant women who may want to tackle their fear of giving birth, or mothers-to-be who want to emotionally, physically and mentally prepare to welcome their child into the world.

Mrs Qureshi, who works for Natal Hypnotherapy, used the techniques available on the relaxation CDs herself in preparation for having her two children, Hannah, aged three, and Isaac, 18 months.

The 36-year-old said: “There’s a rumour that Kate Middleton is using our Natal Hypnotherapy CDs.

If she is then, that’s great, hopefully she will talk about it in the future and it will help decrease this fear and anxiety that we have about giving birth.”

Natal Hypnotherapy was launched by Maggie Howell in 2003, and her work has now helped more than 100,000 women to have a better labour, and the company is now the UK’s leading provider of hypnosis for childbirth.

Mrs Qureshi said: “Natal hypnotherapy is a way of teaching pregnant women relaxation techniques that they can use in the run up to giving birth and for the birth itself.

“Relaxing and breathing deeply are the two best things that a woman can do to help her feel calm and ease anxiety surrounding the birth.

“It can be learned non-verbally or verbally. You learn the impact of adrenaline, caused by fear, in labour, and you can discover ways that you can keep that at bay.

“It’s not just for ladies either, men can be as involved as they would like to be, especially if they are going to be at the birth, and it can be used in medical centres and birthing pools.”

The CDs available from Natal Hypnotherapy include pregnancy, birth and post-natal, and all work by tapping into your subconscious mind.

The mum-of-two decided to train as a practitioner after hearing “horror stories” from friends about giving birth.

She said: “The reason why I decided to give it a go was I was so scared and upset with all my friends telling me these horror stories about how awful their pregnancies and labours were, so I thought I would re-train as a practitioner.

“I used it during both my pregnancies and my births were brilliant, and Isaac was 9lb 14oz, which is a big baby.”