Miranda Kerr Recalls Excruciating Childbirth with Baby Flynn

By Tim Nudd

07/11/2011 at 01:45 PM EDT

Childbirth was a bit of a nightmare for Miranda Kerr, but at least she has a dream husband with whom to raise baby Flynn.

"I actually thought I was going to die at one point and left my body," the actress and model, 28, tells Australian InStyle of the excruciating delivery back in January. "I was looking down on myself – the pain was so intense."

"I kept thinking, 'How do women do this?' But if other women have done this, I can do it too. I was determined."

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Six months later, Kerr and her husband, Orlando Bloom, are happily raising Flynn. And Kerr reveals that Bloom is a very hands-on father.

"It's whoever has their hands free," she says of the parenting duties. 'When I'm not working we don't have a nanny. Some nights we have a lady who comes in to help out, but [Flynn] is getting better at sleeping now, so not as often. And if I need to get on a plane for one day of work, I pump my milk and put it into the freezer for Orlando."

A Victoria's Secret model since 2007, Kerr is back in shape following the pregnancy. But she says she was never preoccupied with how it would affect her famous figure.

"[Flynn is] a big baby, 4.5 kilograms [almost 10 pounds] at birth," she says. "And I thought to myself, 'I have so much more that I want to do aside from modeling. I can live with my body not being in shape if I have a healthy son. It's worth it.' "