Evangeline Lilly had been in labour for 30 hours before she gave birth.
The 32-year-old actress - who delivered son Kahekili, her first child with boyfriend Norman Kali, in May - opted to have a home birth but she wasn't prepared for how long she would be having contractions.
The Hobbit star told TV talk show host Jay Leno: "We decided to have the baby at home because we wanted it to be a natural birth, and it turns out that it was 30 hours of natural.
"Eight hours of pushing, that's the part that men don't understand. Women go, 'Oh dear, oh, dear God, eight hours of pushing?' And the men are like, 'OK, eight hours of pushing.'
"After about five hours of pushing, my midwife and my birthing assistant said, 'You know, we have a few suggestions.' And I was like, 'Really? After five hours of pushing you have a few suggestions? You couldn't have told me five minutes in?' "