What to say – and what not to say – to friends, or colleagues having IVF

It’s all too easy to say something crass or insensitive to someone who is going through IVF – as I discovered when I was. Here’s how to open your mouth without putting your foot in it

A jolt back to life: after years of avoiding risk, I have decided to dive in and say yes

By being scared, embarrassed or even just nervous, I feel present, like I’m still here

Having a child has been the most transformative and the most mundane experience of my life

Parenthood has opened the door to a new kind of love – one not necessarily more sacred or pure than the love for my friends, parents and husband

‘The pain was worse than giving birth’: why are so many women separated from their babies in prison?

First they had to give birth in custody, then their babies were taken away. Sometimes they never got them back. Here’s what 29 women told the Lost Mothers Project

‘One father threatened to stab the referee’: why does kids’ football bring out the worst in parents?

When they’re not shouting at their own children, many of Britain’s soccer dads like nothing more than swearing at the officials, or even trading blows on the touchline. Isn’t this supposed to be fun?

Put your baby down to nap near a washing machine, expert says

Researcher warns that dark daytime naps can disrupt babies’ sleep when they properly go to bed at night

Rogue doctors stole one woman’s eggs to get another patient pregnant. What happened next is an unlikely tale of friendship against the odds

When it emerged that a fertility clinic had made one woman pregnant with another’s baby, Renée Ballou and Carole LieberWilkins were advised to ‘lawyer up’. Instead they did something extraordinary – even as one raised the other’s biological child

New mums are being ‘strongly encouraged’ to take regular exercise and get more sleep. Hahahaha

New guidelines are well intentioned, but as parents of babies know, finding time to look after yourself is impossible, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Have you ever been tired enough to put your shoes in the microwave? This is my world: welcome!

I asked on social media for stories from parents suffering extreme sleep deprivation. It was both hilarious and frightening, says journalist Nell Frizzell

‘Talk about it, focus on your values and … stay stoic’: how to cope with rejection

From the workplace to romance to friends, everything you need to know about rejection – and how to move on from it

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health