Record number of over-45s giving birth in England

More than 2,000 women aged 45 and older had babies last year, ONS figures show

Once-a-month contraceptive pill developed by scientists

Gelatine capsule could prevent unplanned pregnancies caused by errors in daily pill use

We’re broke, not poor: how I became downwardly mobile

We have educations, credit cards, were raised with privilege and access – but our lives are filled with financial uncertainty

The Guardian view on prisons and mothers: an injustice

Editorial: The shameful treatment of pregnant inmates and of the children of jailed women must be addressed. No babies should be born behind bars

Pushed to the limit: six birth stories from around the world

From pop songs to warm pools, Candice Pires hears six very different accounts of women’s experience in labour

Pregnant and waiting for your baby? Forget sex and hot baths – here’s my advice

Bananas, nipple stimulation, castor oil: none of these will hasten labour. Instead, soak up your last chance to be alone

Foetus 18 Weeks: the greatest photograph of the 20th century?

In the 1950s, photojournalist Lennart Nilsson set out to capture the earliest stages of existence. His foetus images seized the public imagination – and sparked a controversy that has raged ever since

How a video game helped me reclaim my body after having a baby

Pregnancy, birth and looking after your child put a huge strain on your body – Nintendo’s Ring Fit can help you reclaim it

When my cousin was dying of a brain tumour in her 20s I promised I’d look out for her son

Over the past decade I’ve watched a young boy grow up and become a daily reminder to me of just how proud his mother would have been

‘We’re cosseting our kids’ – the war against today’s dangerously dull playgrounds

Architects are taking issue with risk-averse playparks full of sluggish roundabouts and tiny climbing frames. But are playgrounds in the middle of roads really the answer?