Mental illness is pregnancy’s number one complication. It’s time to support those who suffer from it

Integrated mental healthcare for maternity services, more perinatal psychiatrists and public awareness of the problem could deliver meaningful change

My egg, my wife’s womb, our baby: how we found our way to lesbian motherhood

When Leah and I planned a family, we wanted to be as mutual as possible. Could reciprocal IVF – Leah carrying an embryo made from my egg – be the way forward?

A moment that changed me: I was wary of men – then I found out I was having a baby boy

When I became pregnant, all I wanted was a healthy baby. Discovering I would be having a son gave me a new perspective on the narratives around masculinity

I yearned to be a mother. Why did I feel nothing when my daughter was finally born?

I had presumed I would love her instantly – but a traumatic birth led to devastating numbness

Why aren’t Republicans thrilled by the fall in teen pregnancies?

In the US, the birth rate for 15- to 19-year-olds dropped 7% last year. But what seems like good news for society has been lamented by some leading Maga figures, writes Arwa Mahdawi

Black women in Georgia turn to midwives for safer births – so why does the state criminalize many of them?

A new lawsuit seeks to decriminalize the work of midwives banned from providing care amid a worsening maternal health crisis

Trying to conceive? Welcome to the worry-filled world of ‘trimester zero’

An army of ‘pregnancy prep’ influencers is offering would-be parents everything from sensible advice to quackery and questionable supplements. What’s really needed?

I went into motherhood an oblivious idiot – and I don’t regret it

All the information about pregnancy and parenting can be understandably off-putting. It’s best to look at it clear-sightedly and, if you do decide to give it a go, accept that the path ahead is unpredictable, writes Emma Beddington

The UK scandal of women handcuffed while in labour: ‘I was so shocked when the restraints weren’t removed’

Pregnant women prisoners in England are being handcuffed to prison officers – often male – during intimate vaginal examinations and long, agonising births. Will this dehumanising treatment be stopped?

What is the national maternity and neonatal investigation and why was it launched?

From racism to staff shortages, the interim report found a host of deep-rooted issues affecting women and babies

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health