A letter to … my breast surgeon

The letter you always wanted to write

Home birth: ‘What the hell was I thinking?’

There's the blood, the pain, the second thoughts. Are home births an unnecessary trial – or the most rewarding way to have a baby? Amelia Hill joins one woman in labour to find out

This satnav of the labour ward is driving us the wrong way

Annalisa Barbieri: Birth monitors cost the NHS millions, and were never meant to replace a labouring woman's default help: the midwife

When Will I Sleep Through the Night? An A-Z of Babyhood by Eleanor Birne – review

Wit and wisdom inform this lively account of the first year of motherhood. New mum Alice O'Keeffe approves

GPs warned over mistakes in fitting contraceptive implants

Family doctors advised to acquire proper training to avoid errors and damages for unwanted pregnancies

Family life becomes a work of art in NHS waiting room

Kin, an audio project based around interviews with mothers, fathers and their adult children, transforms the mood in the waiting room

Food and class: does what we eat reflect Britain’s social divide?

The received wisdom is that the middle classes eat well and can cook. Poorer people are more likely to be overweight and live on ready meals. But is it really true? Report by Louise Carpenter

The lasting effects of pregnancy

Receding gums, bigger feet and a longer nose – are these really the legacies of having childbirth?

Simple blood test for Down’s syndrome is on its way, say scientists

Announcement made by researchers looking to replace current risky procedure that causes 1% of women tested to miscarry

Family under the microscope

Relatives with dementia retain emotional memories if not facts