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Is There A "Right" Way To Do Pregnancy? Mila Kunis Thinks So.

Celebrity sweetheart she may be, but she'll have upset some people with these comments.

Ashton and Mila sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G...

...and probably a bit more, because now she has officially confirmed to Ellen DeGeneres that she is PREGNANT.

*Gasps in mock surprise*

But, as much as we weren't shocked by her pregnancy revelation, she did say a couple of other things which were a bit surprising.

The Friends With Benefits star attracted a round of applause from the talk show's audience when, asked whether she was going to have an epidural, she indicated that she wouldn't and replied with the line: "I mean - I did this to myself, I might as well do it right."

Which got us thinking, is there really a "right" way to give birth?

When we first watched Mila's interview in the office, Yahoo Celebrity journalist Amy Nickell, currently pregnant for the first time, was affronted by what was discussed:

"The logic of Mila Kunis saying that by passing up pain relief she is doing it the 'right way' downright confuses me," she said.

"Making women feel guilty for taking advantage of modern medicine and making the decision to limit the pain of childbirth is something that our society seriously needs to stop doing for the sake of every pregnant woman secretly dreading labour," she concluded.

After a little digging and a few conversations with new mums, we discovered that Mila is not alone in thinking that there is a good and a bad way to go about it.

It turns out there is a not-so-fun culture of epi-shaming in the UK, whereby women who do opt for epidurals and other painkillers are made to feel bad about their decisions.

First time mummy Sandra Sandin, 27, told us: "They openly spoke out against epidurals in my birth class, explaining at length all of the side effects, such as slower births."

"So by the time I got to my delivery I was really, really nervous, about the pain and about being in a vulnerable state," she continued, "And I waited for 12 hours of contractions at home, holding out in pain because I thought I should."

At the last moment, Sandra did actually get given an epidural. Looking back on it she says, "Why put yourself through a painful birth when nowadays we have options for different experiences?"

Another young first timer, Elizabeth, told us: "I was the youngest person in my antenatal class and when I said that I was definitely going to have an epidural they looked at me in horror. I had 10 people say 'What? You won't even TRY to give birth naturally?'"

"My response," she said, "Was that for me I didn't see the point in going through the pain when there were ways to enjoy the experience. Just because you can cope with the pain of having your tooth pulled out without anaesthetics doesn't mean that we do now!"

"The funniest response I had from the group," Elizabeth told us, "Was 'but you're so young, you probably won't feel the pain as much as people in their late 30s'"

"I ended up having a caesarian for medical reasons," she concluded, "But I still feel the need to say to people 'I had a caesarian, but for medical reasons.' I get angry at myself though, and think who cares even if I'd chosen to have one, it's my decision!"

Epi-shaming has been the focus of many debates on popular parenting site Mumsnet.

Luckily, though, a lot of responses in forums have been positive and supportive of individual choices.

Porcamiseria says: "It upsets me [...] this attitude that they are to be avoided, as if you DO have one some people might feel like a failure?"

YouCantTeuchThis says: "There are reasons why we have the pain relief and interventions available to us - as long as you are aware of the possible risks then no-one should judge you on your birth needs/choices."

It is true that there are some studies showing increased risk of complications and interventions during an epidural birth, but it seems to us that a lot of the negativity is not based on research, more a case of mothers wanting to outdo each other.

And that's just no good at all!!

Pregnancies, especially for first-timers, are some of the scariest and weirdest experiences that a woman will face in her lifetime.

They also have the potential to be some of the most wonderful.

It makes no sense that the one group of people - other mothers - that are in the best position to be supportive and offer realistic advice, would let their egos get in the way.

At the end of the day, you're not trying to get a medal, you're trying to get a healthy baby and enjoy the process.

[The Art of Baring All: Photoshoot Shows New Mothers Are Beautiful, Scars and All]

[New Mummy Blog: What's Wrong With Wanting To Be A Yummy Mummy?]

What do you think? Have you been a victim of epi-shaming? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter.