Thank you to … my midwife, for reassuring a pregnant dad

Freddy McConnell thanks Jo for her care and common sense, making no fuss or fanfare

Boys born underweight ‘more likely to have infertility problems’

Experts say men have a higher risk of reproduction issues if born below average size

Record number of over-45s giving birth in England

More than 2,000 women aged 45 and older had babies last year, ONS figures show

America has an infant mortality crisis. Meet the black doulas trying to change that

In the US, black babies die at twice the rate of white babies. In Cleveland, the mortality rate is nearly three times as high. Can birth advocates make a difference in one of America’s most segregated cities?

Why is it so hard to allow mothers the kind of labour they want?

The Shrewsbury maternity scandal is in part explained by a fetish for ‘natural birth’

Pregnant and waiting for your baby? Forget sex and hot baths – here’s my advice

Bananas, nipple stimulation, castor oil: none of these will hasten labour. Instead, soak up your last chance to be alone

Born sleeping: how I grieved for the much-loved daughter I lost before her birth

The loss of a baby at almost six months pregnant brought special challenges, including the trauma of giving birth – and it didn’t help that the subject is so rarely discussed

Caesarean babies have different gut bacteria, microbiome study finds

C-section babies pick up more hospital bacteria than those born vaginally, research shows

Virtual reality headsets to distract women from the pain of labour? Dream on

No coral reefs or dancing penguins can distract from the overwhelming experience of giving birth, says columnist and writer Nell Frizzell