Maternity Service by Emma Barnett review – a tour of duty in early motherhood

In this valuable, brutally honest guide, the broadcaster argues that a supposedly joyful time is often steeped in drudgery and social isolation

Prolapse, tearing, pain: a urogynecologist on what you should know before giving birth

Dr Jocelyn Fitzgerald, who specializes in disorders of the pelvic floor, is ‘begging women to learn’ the physical risks and changes that accompany childbirth

We can tell the truth about pregnancy without scaring women to death – in fact, it’s vital that we do

Many women have no idea about the potential complications until they happen. Without discussion there is no treatment or prevention, says author Emily Oster

‘Deep in my madness, witches gave me hope’: Elizabeth Sankey on motherhood, depression and witches

While battling through the darkness of severe postpartum anxiety, Elizabeth Sankey saw a light of solidarity in the stories of witchcraft

Do you want kids? It’s finally OK to simply say no

If birth rates are falling it could be down to choosing childlessness, rather than economics or infertility

A moment that changed me: partying was my personality – until I helped my 16-year-old sister give birth

During her pregnancy she taught me so much about resilience, self-reliance and strength. It inspired me to veer off the reckless path I was on

‘Women feel like failures if they haven’t had a “normal” birth’: how the NCT has shaped childbirth in the UK

It was founded to promote natural deliveries and has become Britain’s biggest and most influential antenatal charity – but did its policies harm some mothers and babies?

‘It felt shameful’: the profound loneliness of modern motherhood

The mothers of babies and young children often experience extreme isolation – and all the health problems that accompany it

Experience: I gave birth to my granddaughter

My husband joked: ‘My wife is pregnant – but it’s not mine’