Pop superstar Madonna yesterday opened her heart about her "painful" struggle to adopt Malawian tot David Banda� -- comparing it to natural childbirth.
The singer -- who celebrates her 50th birthday later this year -- talked openly about her and husband Guy Ritchie's controversial battle to adopt the two-year-old.
She says, "It was painful and a big struggle and I didn�t understand it.
"In the end I rationalized that when a woman goes through natural childbirth, she suffers an enormous amount.
"I went through my own kind of birthing pains � dealing with the press on my doorstep, accusing me of kidnapping or whatever.
�But I had to go through some kind of process and in the end it made me stronger so I can�t complain."
The 'Material Girl' singer also blasted reports that David was adopted without his father�s consent -- and that his mother had not really died of Aids.
She said, "Yes his mother did die of Aids and yes, I met his father and he absolutely agreed to the adoption.
"There is nothing controversial about the adoption. It is just there�s a lot of bureaucracy and administration. This adoption essentially was the beginning of the creation of adoption laws in Malawi."
She said she now sees herself as the role model for future adoptions in the country.
Madonna was speaking at a press conference about her new documentary I Am Because We Are � which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
The film, featuring David, paints a stark picture of life in Malawi and shows kids orphaned by Aids.
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