Alba compares childbirth to meditation

New mum Jessica Alba refused to make a sound during the birth of her newborn daughter - because she wanted the experience to be like a "meditation".

The 27-year-old star gave birth to daughter Honor Marie - her first child with husband Cash Warren - last month.

And Alba is convinced a quiet delivery room was the key to avoiding her labour pains.

She says: "I didn't scream. It was really Zen. I wanted to do it naturally. The labour was more like meditation. I did yoga breathing. I was focused."