A home help for eight days after giving birth? Why Dutch maternity care is the envy of the world

Everyone who gives birth in the Netherlands has the legal right to a kraamzorg to help with everything from breastfeeding to laundry. How do these new mums find it?

Pregnant in Gaza with no clinics: ‘I have no idea where I will give birth’

As one of 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, Noor Hammad faces a traumatic birth and fraught start in life for her first baby

Fertility patients in UK unable to keep stored embryos amid cost of living crisis

Rising inflation has made it harder for patients to continue fertility treatment, experts say

‘There was blood. A dash to the hospital. No heartbeat’ – how I survived the stillbirth of my son

My world came crashing down when my baby died. The future my wife and I had been planning for nine months had been snatched away, and for fathers like me there seemed to be no one to turn to

‘Upending the genre’: the children’s author rewriting the rules of sex ed

A new trio of books for kids focuses on consent, kindness and curiosity. Author Cory Silverberg explains why we need to rethink talking with young people about sex

10 questions to ask a teenager to start an important conversation

We asked experts in teen mental health how to talk about everything from the environment to screen time with adolescents

Naps, nuts and gentle parenting: everything you need to know about new babies

A quick guide for parents to the latest research and studies on raising infants and looking after toddlers

Why do we bathe children before bed, but wash ourselves in the morning?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Instant calmer: a mindful walking weekend in Wales

A trip focusing on slow immersion in the natural world is the perfect way to unwind and restore mental harmony for this busy mum

Baby sleep has become a sign of parenting competence – and a source of shame

Expectations around infant sleep are often way off, says the Guardian’s assistant Opinion editor, Lucy Pasha-Robinson