Hospital in China gives fathers to be the chance to experience the pain of child birth

The sessions began after pregnant patients complained about their partner's lack of sympathy

The idea began as a small taster session but became so popular that it is now bi-weekly (ITN)

A hospital in China has come up with a novel way of getting would be father’s to understand exactly what their pregnant partners are going through - by offering them the chance to experience child birth.

Aima Hospital in China's eastern Shandong Province, has devised an innovative system that is supposed recreate the pain that a women experiences during childbirth, by administering electric shocks through pads attached to the men’s stomachs.

The voltage is then cranked up from one to ten and usually results in the men writhing around in agony and begging for the pain to stop.

According to staff at the hospital, the idea came about after a number of female patients complained that they were not getting enough sympathy from their partners.

So, instead of trying to explain how hard carrying and giving birth to a child was, they decided to show them.

Despite the scores of men complaining about the pain, nurse Lou Dezhu who runs the session said that the discomfort the men felt was still just shadow of what women have to go through.

She said: "For this experience the main thing is to let men experience the pain of a woman giving birth. Even though this pain is still far less than the pain experienced by women when they are giving birth, but still, if men can experience this pain then they'll be more loving and caring to their wives."

Additional reporting Reuters