Drug to prevent excessive bleeding after childbirth could save thousands of lives

Maternal mortality rates in poor countries with hot climates could tumble if trial of resilient new medicine proves successful

FGM charges against doctor ‘have left medical staff afraid’

Maternal health expert says midwives and obstetricians now fear prosecution if they repair damage after childbirth the wrong way

Tales of pregnancy and childbirth: the world wide womb

Global traditions have much to teach us on pregnancy and childbirth. In the run-up to Mother's Day, a new book reveals what we can learn from Japan's sumo wrestlers, the generous Finns and Moldova's fear of fish, writes Amy Fleming

Would you hire a photographer for your child’s birth?

Rachel Holmes: A photograph of the first moments of your child's life, or the agonies of labour, could be a precious memento of a very special time. But then again, the results might not be pretty

Three in four women happy to endorse their own maternity unit

NHS England publishes 'family and friends test' surveying women's responses to antenatal and postnatal services

Intensive care: life with a seriously ill baby

For babies born ill or very early, the first few weeks in intensive care can be gruelling. How do they (and their parents) get through it? Louise Tickle and photographer Colin McPherson follow the journey of one baby born with a serious heart defect

Women who postpone having babies may stay childless, warns medical chief

Prof Dame Sally Davies says couples must face the fact that women's fertility declines with age

Need a solution to overstretched maternity services? Call the Midwife

The NHS would do well to adopt the one-to-one relationships between mother and midwife depicted in the BBC drama

IVF babies have greater risk of complications, study finds

Single children born after IVF are found to be nearly twice as likely to be born early, stillborn or die within 28 days of birth

NHS maternity care can be ‘truly shocking’, says regulator

Chief inspector of hospitals finds women are being left alone in labour and waiting hours for pain relief