Mumsnet forums are a guilty pleasure, but there are truths, too

Married sex, the limits of hygiene, mothers’ fears and neuroses, the private names they have for genitals – there’s magic in among the horror

Pregnancy weigh-ins were stopped in the 90s – and they’re still a bad idea

Yes, talk about healthy diets and weighing if there’s a problem, but calls to make this mandatory are misguided, says freelance journalist Lucy Jones

Midwives call for pregnancy weight targets after study highlights health risks

Eating for two is a myth, say researchers, with weight gain linked to insulin resistance

The state has no right to stop me learning the sex of my unborn child

A new test that reveals a baby’s sex at 10 weeks has, predictably, led to panic about an increase in terminations – as if we need even more anxiety about pregnancy

How I fled a bad marriage in Iran for a new life in London

Cooking Iranian dishes for her new neighbours opened all sorts of doors for Atoosa Sepehr

What the US can learn from Canada about how to treat moms

I can’t imagine motherhood without Canada’s generous paid maternity leave. It’s time for America to get with the program

‘I didn’t get arrested, I got rescued’: jail is a lifeline for some pregnant women

Incarceration is some women’s only shot at pregnancy healthcare – but the quality varies enormously

Express yourself! Celebrity mums lead breast pump boom

Stars’ selfies highlight the growing popularity of breast pumps for mothers balancing pressures of work and childcare

I’m a paranoid parent – and proud of it

Many of us are having fewer kids, later in life, so overwhelming parental anxiety is not just normal – it makes sense, says Guardian columnist Catherine Shoard

The surprising truth about becoming a mother in your 50s – from the women who know

The number of births to women aged over 50 is soaring. But what’s the real story behind the rise? Three mothers talk about the joy of finally having a baby long after it would once have been possible