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’

Water births do not increase risk of complications, study finds

Using a water pool during labour for low-risk pregnancies is as safe as giving birth out of water, research shows

Pillows, playlists and a gentle push… My birth plan was a joke

We all start our journey into motherhood with a Plan A for the birth, but wouldn’t it be helpful if we had a Plan B or C or even D?

The Guardian view on maternity care failures: birth trauma can and should be reduced

Editorial: A pioneering report from MPs should lead to much-needed improvements in the treatment of new mothers by the NHS

The birth trauma scandal is not about one bad apple, one bad culture or one bad area – it’s about the mess of austerity

When I gave birth in the 00s, things were not perfect by any stretch, but unlike now, they were not broken absolutely everywhere, writes Zoe Williams