Ryan Reynolds thinks Blake Lively was a ''mercenary'' when she gave birth to their child.

The 'Deadpool' star - who welcomed the little girl, James, in December with the 'Gossip Girl' actress - has admitted she was ''cracking jokes'' throughout the birth.

He said: ''My wife is the real, I mean she is a mercenary. At one point in the middle of the delivery, the doctor's cell phone went off and she said, 'Oh, no. Go ahead, take a personal call. Feel free.' She was cracking jokes in the delivery room. She may have been on drugs, but I don't ask personal questions.

''I was just a terrible coach. There was a lot of clapping. I went for a couple of high fives, but she did not.''

And the 38-year-old actor has joked that he is ''dead'' to his daughter because she ''gravitates towards the breasts''.

Speaking on CONAN, he said: ''Right now she's starting to say 'mama'. There's an unfair advantage there. It turns out that breasts are actually a life support system and the child seems to gravitate towards the breasts.

''I'm just the breastless asshole wandering around the room and getting in her sightline every once in a while.''