Posh and pregnant: five-star childbirth at the Portland

The Portland is the UK’s most exclusive private maternity hospital, but can all that candlelit fakery really distract from the blood and pain, asks Eva Wiseman

Funding shortages force NHS to cut caesareans, coroner suggests

Inquest hears financial reasons seemed to be behind decision for a mother to have a natural birth despite her objections. Her baby died days later

There is nothing wrong with a C-section – so let’s quit judging other mothers

If you want an experience, go to Disneyland. If you want a healthy baby, do whatever works

Too many mothers having early caesareans, report warns

Findings reveal large number of hospitals in England carrying out elective C-sections before 39 weeks despite risk posed to child

Taking a baby from its mother is a horrific job for a midwife

No training can prepare you for a mother’s animalistic howl as her child is removed, but it’s my job to protect newborn babies

What are the biggest maternity care issues where you live?

As a review highlights issues in maternity services in England, we want to hear from readers around the world about the challenges of childbirth they face

Yes, women should choose their maternity care. Why isn’t it happening now?

Baroness Cumberlege’s report proposing personal birth budgets is what many women have wanted for decades – the tricky bit is putting it into practice

The day the NHS saved my life: I lost nearly all my body’s blood after giving birth

I needed an operation and lifesaving transfusion when my placenta became stuck – and the care didn’t stop there

The day the NHS saved my baby’s life: she had stopped breathing

At just 20 hours old, Milli’s glucose levels dropped to potentially fatal levels. Thanks to a midwife’s visit and the Herts air ambulance, she survived – with a mystifying and rare pituitary gland condition identified weeks later

Cancer patient mother says she would have kept her baby ‘in my tummy’

Heidi Loughlin says she would not have chosen to deliver baby 12 weeks early to undergo chemotherapy had she known daughter would not survive