The sleep switch: the hormone supplement sending Australian children to sleep
Experts have seen an increase in the number of children using melatonin. What do we know about the ‘hormone of darkness’?
New parents in the UK: what challenges are you facing?
We’rd like to hear from new mothers and fathers in the UK who are facing challenges, such as financial worries, health concerns or a lack of support
Milk formula firms target women looking for pregnancy advice
Companies advertise products to women searching online for folic acid to get around marketing restrictions
No need for six-month wait to try for baby after pregnancy loss, study finds
Analysis challenges WHO health guidance on amount of time women should delay after miscarriage or abortion
Acupuncture relieves back and pelvic pain during pregnancy, study suggests
Analysis shows significant benefits with no major side-effects for mother or baby but more trials needed ‘to confirm results’• [Update: the study on which this article reports was later withdrawn by the BMJ owing to ‘fundamental flaws’ in the research – see footnote]
Unlocking the mystery of placental disorders and recurrent stillbirths
The winning essay in the Max Perutz science writing award 2022, published below, was written by Emily Cornish, a research training fellow and PhD candidate at University College London
‘Miracle’ baby opens debate over possible use of centuries-old sperm
Technology allows sperm to be frozen longer than legal 50-year limit but poses medical and ethical questions
A question to keep parents up at night: whether to allow their children into their bed
Christina Ricci’s comment that she frequently shares a bed with her eight-year-old son has led to a debate about co-sleeping: should kids be kept firmly in their own rooms, and can you stop them climbing under your duvet even if you don’t want them to?
Authoritarian, freewheeler or data wonk – what type of parent are you?
Is your kids’ bedtime data-led or boundary-free? Is the naughty step unused or well worn? Our guide decodes modern parenting
Maternity care is not on a journey of obvious improvement
History suggests that reports exposing NHS failings do not banish the culture that harms babies and mothers