Women in labour are being given virtual reality headsets to see if they can help manage the pain of childbirth.
University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff is carrying out a trial and it could be rolled out across Wales, if successful.
Midwife Suzanne Hardacre, said the technology offered an alternative for pain management.
Mother-to-be Hannah Lelii, who tested the kit ahead of the birth of her first baby this month, likened it “to a simulator”.
“It’s genuinely 360 degrees, so when I turn, I’ve got the view that would be behind me or to the side of me,” she said.
“It helps to get me in a state of relaxation.”
The health board will arrange a feedback session in future to gauge the response of the first raft of new mums to trial the headsets.
