Maternity services set for more change as the NHS hits 70

Hospital births were once seen as the ideal in maternity services – now, women’s choice is driving policy

The pressure to have a second child

There are far easier ways to screw up your kid than by making them an only child, says Eva Wiseman

Does running a mile a day really improve children’s lives?

The Scottish school that asked primary pupils to do 15 minutes of exercise every day started a global trend – and research suggests it really is transforming lives

Introduce mental health checks for new mothers, ministers told

Six-week checkup would help the 50% of UK mothers with mental health problems

I am 13 and hate what I see in the mirror

Being what you may think of as thin or pretty doesn’t change how you feel inside, says Annalisa Barbieri

You can smell a new mother’s loneliness. Unless you’re the state

As a new mum, I know loneliness cuts deep – and the lack of services for parent and child plays a large part in this, says the freelance writer Nell Frizzell

​’Before, I couldn’t walk 200m’​ – why surgery can be life-changing for super-obese children

As many as 90,000 children in England could be considered eligible for bariatric surgery, yet only 18 operations were performed last year. Shouldn’t there be many more?

Meet the tech evangelist who now fears for our mental health

Belinda Parmar was a passionate advocate of the digital revolution – but has started keeping her family’s smartphones and laptops locked away to protect her loved ones. Is she right to be so worried?

Babies’ sleep patterns can be challenging – here’s why you shouldn’t despair

On Baby Sleep Day, here are some insights that might help get you through the long, broken nights

Exercise is more precious than ever. So let’s stop scaring kids off PE

Cutting PE lessons to boost exam results is madness – especially as we now know physical activity aids academic performance, says the sports writer and author Anna Kessel