What if we let our kids eat what they want? A radical new take on the weight debate

Modern parenting is preoccupied by the idea of perfection, and that includes weight. Virginia Sole-Smith, author of a brave and radical new book, talks to Rebecca Seal about why our worth shouldn’t be measured by size

My sister is drinking heavily while pregnant. How can I help her stop?

Excessive alcohol consumption puts the baby at risk so she needs urgent professional support – but approach her with compassion

How early is too early to be discharged from hospital after giving birth?

A longer post-birth stay in the wards could help many mothers, even if research remains inconclusive

Soft play is a nightmare – so why are adults leaping into the ball pit?

Our galloping infantilisation continues at a new centre where there will presumably be less screaming than usual, greater participant continence and a bar. Is this what modern life has come to, asks Zoe Williams

Crisis in NHS maternity units revealed as 21 rated ‘substandard’

Care Quality Commission finds many services inadequate, needing improvement or shut over safety concerns

Matrescence by Lucy Jones review – smashing motherhood myths

A thrilling examination of what it means to become a mother challenges assumptions in bravura fashion

More than one in 10 women struggle to bond with their baby, survey shows

73% of surveyed women say they received no information on bonding in first weeks after giving birth

What is Primodos and why were 100 UK families seeking compensation?

Concerns about birth defects first raised in 1960s but evidence for causal link to pregnancy test remains contentious

A moment that changed me: I was in my 20s and depressed – then my mother moved into my bed

Her attempt to comfort me seemed ridiculous at the time. But years later it showed me how I could be there for my own daughter

‘I didn’t even know men could get it’: the hidden impact of male postnatal depression

Postnatal depression affects up to 15% of new mothers, but studies suggest almost as many fathers also show symptoms – and little is being done to help them