Why men decide to become single dads

You're successful at work, happily single – and desperate to become a father. What happens when men get baby hunger? Nicholas Blincoe meets the parents who have decided to go it alone through surrogacy or adoption

The sadness of separation

I cry all the time – I didn't realise being a single mother would be so hard. Thank goodness my mum is coming

Child marriage could trigger surge in Africa’s under-15s pregnancy rate – UN

UN population survey predicts steep climb in young girls giving birth in sub-Saharan Africa unless child marriage is banned

Swaddling babies can cause them hip problems, doctors warn

Practice of wrapping babies tightly in blankets or sheets is popular, but studies have shown it can lead to dislocation or abnormal development of the hip

The seven stages of separation

Anonymous: We've been ill and R and I have been arguing about a parenting decision. It seems like I'll be stuck on stage three of the seven stages of separation – anger and bargaining – for some time

My son has put on weight and grown breasts and body hair – he’s only nine

I don't think our GP is taking this seriously enough – he seems to think I'm to blame for the weight gain. Meanwhile, my boy's confidence is suffering

The novel that gives me insight into my alcoholic husband

I have sort of fallen in love with a character in a novel who is a fortysomething hard-drinking writer – a brutal narcissist and over-the-hill, womanising alcoholic. Some would say I have questionable taste in men

I’ve stopped obsessing about my ex

I'm enjoying time away from my husband and the children. Until recently, he was on my mind all the time – finally I can stop obsessing about him

What I’m really thinking: the older pregnant woman

'Ten years ago I was single and self-employed, too interested in the high life for children'

My house needs a rejig – and so does my brain

It's easy to get addicted to self-pity but making a list of my five best and worst moments each day helps