Expectant mothers are too often treated as an inconvenience – and we can’t blame a TV drama for that

The BBC’s new show This Is Going to Hurt is about overstretched doctors – but patronising pregnant women is a long-standing problem, writes Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

Caesareans or vaginal births: should mothers or medics have the final say?

More babies are born by C-section than ever, causing alarm at the WHO. But some believe the option should always be offered

UK woman has baby in hospital with ‘birth dog’ by her side

Charlotte Beard was helped through labour by aid dog Flump who is trained to detect her oncoming seizures

UK health trusts suspend home birth services as midwives shortage deepens

‘Crisis’ in maternity care leaves expectant mothers facing difficult births in hospital or without support at home

Experience: I had a baby using a donated uterus

The doctor told me I’d be lucky to see uterine transplants happen in my lifetime. But I never gave up hope

Fear on the ward: UK mothers threatened with social services for refusing maternity care

Women who refuse advice from health service staff say they are being coerced with threats of referrals to agencies and police

Can a mother ever be good enough? I know what my son would say …

My almost 14-year-old is annoyed that I think his birthday is a bigger deal for me than it is for him. Still, it will always be my special day, writes Zoe Williams

Troubled maternity wards still jeopardising patients, watchdog warns

CQC inspection of nine struggling units suggests mothers and babies remain at risk from poor care and closed systems

The Taliban are not the only threat to Afghanistan. Aid cuts could undo 20 years of progress

The most vulnerable people will bear the cost of sanctions, as services and the economy collapse

Delivering babies in a Nigerian camp: ‘I’ve had to use plastic bags as gloves’

After seeing a woman die in childbirth, Liyatu Ayuba stepped in and has now delivered 118 babies in a community cut off from public health services