Hollywood star Jessica Alba says giving birth was more like "meditation".

The 27-year-old actress - who welcomed daughter Honor Marie into the world on June 7 - insists she exuded quiet strength during the natural labour and the whole experience was incredibly peaceful.

She said: "I didn't scream. It was really Zen. The labour was more like meditation. I did yoga breathing. I was focused. I ate a lot of soul food before she was born."

Jessica’s husband Cash Warren added: “She didn't make a sound. It was amazing."

The ‘Love Guru’ actress also revealed she has already embarked on an exercise and healthy eating regime to shed her post pregnancy weight.

She told America’s OK! magazine: “I started working out last Thursday, but for 20 minutes. I do cardio on my own. I'm doing it slow. Now I'm starting to eat more healthy. Because after working out, having fried chicken and mashed potatoes is a little counteractive."

Cash is convinced Honor looks just like him, but he is worried his daughter will later develop Jessica’s stunning features and he will have to deter numerous male suitors.

He said: "She looks like a girl version of me. She has my nose, my eyebrows and my forehead and dimples.”

Jessica added: "She has my mouth when I was a baby. And my ears."

Cash said: "Maybe Honor is a mixture. I want her to look like me, because a daughter looking like Jessica, I'd kill myself!"