I had babies in Germany 10 years apart. This is what I learned about healthcare, motherhood and race

My son was born soon after we moved to Berlin to open a bookshop. Last year I had twins – and things went far less smoothly

‘I felt I was being assessed on my skin colour’: Black women around the world share their birth stories

From Rio to Reykjavik, London to Shanghai, Black women face a maternal health crisis. Six mothers share their stories of pregnancy, birth – and racism

Meditation app Calm sacks one-fifth of staff

Wellness tech company, which enjoyed a boom in custom during the Covid lockdown, has let 90 of its 400 staff go

Being cheerful on the outside can help you – and others – feel it on the inside

Cheerfulness can boost your energy levels, even in tough times – as philosophers and writers have long recognised, writes Donna Ferguson

Contemplation can help problem-solving and boost creativity, study claims

People prefer to keep busy rather than to enjoy a moment of reflection, researchers find

It took catching Covid to get my children out of my bed, but I can finally sleep again

After seven years of sleeping together, this bonding exercise was difficult to stop, and now I’m glad we’ve made the break, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes

Monkeypox shows that if we can’t talk openly about sex and disease, bigots will

There has been a lack of public information on the virus. Half-truths and homophobia have filled the vacuum, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

How much money is needed for ideal life? Most are OK with £8m, study finds

Research counters idea that everyone wants to be as rich as possible, though many Americans want $100bn

Dream-enactment disorder rose up to fourfold during pandemic, study finds

Exclusive: Condition most prevalent among those who had Covid, raising possibility of link with Parkinson’s disease

Global heating is cutting sleep across the world, study finds

Data shows people finding it harder to sleep, especially women and older people, with serious health impacts