NEWSPAPERS are full of unpleasant images. But did we really have to be subjected to pictures of Robbie Williams and his wife in a hospital room, as she went into labour?

Am I the only person who felt slightly uncomfortable looking at the distended stomach, the crumpled bed sheets, and the agony etched on her face? Shouldn't these be private moments?

When I was in a similar situation I'd have been mortified if anyone other than my husband and the nursing staff had come to take a look.

As anyone who knows me will vouch, I'm not one who strives to always look my best, but even I draw the line at in-labour photos, with legs akimbo and sweat pouring down my face.

Yet Williams plasters videos of the event all over Twitter, accompanied by what he obviously intended as a humorous commentary.

He is to my knowledge the first A-lister to take to Twitter to detail — every little push, shove, scream and shout of someone in labour.

But he's joined a steady stream of ordinary people who are giving a blow-by-blow account of their entire pregnancy — in what is apparently termed a 'pregnancy blog' — and birth process.

One mother, from Leicester, gave her friends live updates in 104 tweets, adding up to an entire account of her labour. Another discussed the speed of her contractions, the journey to hospital and the birth.

I can't understand why anyone would want to do this. Aside from the obvious — giving birth is an all-consuming affair and having to tap out messages surely adds to the stress — the process is fraught with potential problems.

What if something goes wrong? It's not always plain sailing. I've had two successful pregnancies out of four. Would people really want the eyes of the world upon them if all wasn't going to plan?

Giving birth should be an intimate experience, shared between family members. Afterwards — that's when to show yourself and your new baby to the world.

At the time of my labours, my friends were not especially interested in hearing about how I managed the TENS machine or coped with the epidural.

They wouldn't have welcomed a video recording of me having a Caesarean section, although I doubt my husband — who queasily chose to sit at the head end of operations — would have been able to hold the camera steady for long.

Neither would I be enthralled by similar images of my mates.

Nowadays, with social media, human dignity seems to be flying out of the window. All we need now is for Wills and Kate to follow Robbie and Ayda's lead.

Though, with Charles and Camilla fussing around, I have to admit, that would be mildly interesting.