Guidelines on chickenpox and shingles for pregnant women updated
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists advises pregnant women who have not had chickenpox to avoid those with the virus
I thought having a baby when I was ‘ready’ would be easy. I was wrong
Monica Fike: I’ve tried yoga, meditation and pills to grapple with infertility. The biggest challenge is feeling betrayed by my own body
I’d like to have a child, but my mother was abusive – will I be like her?
Annalisa Barbieri: I fear I’m destined to repeat my mother’s cruel, cold behaviour
The seismic changes of having a baby
Exhaustion; TV that’s suddenly hard to stomach; a whole new relationship with partner, family, job… Five months into motherhood and everything has changed. Eva Wiseman returns
Prenatal blueprints give an early glimpse of a baby’s developing brain
Innovative research is allowing us to see neural activity in a baby’s brain as it develops inside the womb, writes Vaughan Bell
Homebirth or hospital birth? Choose what’s right for you, but educate yourself first
Jessica Valenti: We don’t have to declare doctors monstrous in order to promote midwives. Both choices can and should be made as safe and acceptable as possible
The IVF egg donor: ‘I knew I didn’t want children. I’ve just found out I have three’
Altruists such as Vanessa Traill are playing an increasingly important role in helping childless couples unable to conceive naturally. Joanna Moorhead meets one of them
Nice: mothers-to-be at risk of mental health problems need more support
Vulnerable women planning a child should receive guidance on how pregnancy could affect their mental health, says report
Phthalates risk damaging children’s IQs in the womb, US researchers suggest
Additives found in plastics and scented products could affect brain development and lower IQ
I had postpartum psychosis. More must be done to help mothers like me
Vonny Leclerc: Postnatal depression’s bigger, uglier brother hit me. When all eyes are on the beautiful baby, we can forget to look at the mum