Matthew McConaughey's Brazilian birth

Jul 23, 2008, 11:40 GMT

04/10/2008 - Matthew McConaughey - "Fool\'s Gold" London Premiere - Arrivals - Vue Cinema - London, England © Solarpix / PR Photos

Matthew McConaughey "got tribal" and played Brazilian music during the birth of his first child.

The 'Fool's Gold' actor - whose Brazilian model girlfriend Camila Alves gave birth to son Levi on July 7 - stayed in the delivery room for the labour and acted as a DJ to play Camila's favorite tunes during her painful contractions.

He said: "We found a great rhythm. Contractions started kicking in. I sat there with her, right between her legs. We got tribal on it, we danced to it! I was DJ-ing this Brazilian music.

"I have it all chronicled. Becoming a dad is something I've dreamed of doing since I was 10. Becoming a father felt very, very natural. We were jamming! She was sweating. No painkiller, let's go.

"I said to her, 'Let's handle this - let's stay in the rhythm. Don't let the contraction be more than you.' "

Although Camila, 25, originally wanted a natural birth without painkillers, she had to undergo a Caesarean following complications during labour.

Matthew, 38, also revealed he was delighted to have a son, but admits he found the labour experience "pukey and sweaty".

He added to America's OK! magazine: "We ended up having an epidural because, on the large contractions, the umbilical cord was being compressed. They went in and tried the vacuum. This is where I learned - and no one tells you this - but having a baby is a bloody, pukey, sweaty, primeval thing! And I mean that as a beautiful thing. It is wild. But the vacuum didn't work, and the doctor said, 'C-section.'

"I cut the umbilical cord and I said, 'Come here, little man. I saw the pecker and screamed that we'd been right all along about him being a boy."

The couple are convinced Levi looks just like Matthew when he was a baby, and the actor is hoping his son can learn from his parents' mistakes and have a happy life.

Matthew said: "I've pulled out some baby pictures of myself, and the resemblance is amazing.

"This kid has a lot to learn from us. I want him to come out being a little wiser, a little cooler and a little happier than we are."