‘I knew how dangerous things could become’: the perils of childbirth as a Black woman

When she was pregnant, Anna Malaika Tubbs was thrilled – then terrified, knowing the shockingly high death rate of Black women in childbirth. Could she find a way to stay safe?

I’ve been delivering babies for 50 years. What exactly is a ‘normal birth’?

Pursuit of ‘normal birth’ has sometimes compromised the safety of mothers and babies, with consequences for maternity care

‘No discussion’: significant increase in women being induced for low-risk births, study finds

Induced births lead to higher rates of medical intervention and are not recommended in uncomplicated pre-term pregnancies, so why are they on the rise?

‘It’s easy to dismiss Black women’s lives’: Texas drags feet on maternal mortality crisis

As state legislature falls short on Medicaid expansion, campaigners vow to keep addressing healthcare disparities

Parent trap: why the cult of the perfect mother has to end

Worldwide, mothers are overworked, underpaid, often lonely and made to feel guilty about everything from epidurals to bottle feeding. Fixing this is the unfinished work of feminism

‘Raising a child without a village is doable – but lonely’: readers on the highs and lows of having a lockdown baby

Bringing a baby into the world can be tough at the best of times, and the pandemic has been far from that. Readers reflect on the pain and joy of new parenthood

Laura Dockrill on parenting, paranoia and postpartum psychosis: ‘I thought I’d been hijacked by a devil’

A month after the birth of her son, the writer and illustrator was on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward, experiencing severe delusions. Now her podcast is raising awareness of a condition that affects one in a thousand new mothers

Experience: I carried a twin in each of my wombs

The medical staff had never seen anything like it. They told us the chances were one in 50 million

Peter Dunn obituary

Pioneer of perinatal medicine who brought about dramatic improvements in the survival chances and wellbeing of babies

Three families, one sperm donor: the day we met our daughter’s sisters

Every year, thousands of British children are conceived with the help of donor sperm. But few ever meet their siblings...

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health