Maternal health

Simple measures could save 1 million babies a year, doctors plead

‘Silent health disaster’ across developing world could be checked by spending less than £1bn on making ordinary antenatal procedures available to all, says new analysis

Lizzy Davies

09, May, 2023 @4:00 AM

‘From bad to worse’: drought puts Kenya’s hospitals under pressure

New mothers at rural hospital running out of water and power tell of their struggles as health workers leave for safer areas

Caroline Kimeu in Garissa County

17, Apr, 2023 @5:30 AM

My 72-hour labour was a nightmare. But at least I had access to clean water | Nadiya Hussain

It is a shocking fact that more than 16 million women give birth every year without this basic necessity. This cannot go on, says chef, author and presenter Nadiya Hussain

Nadiya Hussain

18, Jan, 2023 @7:00 AM

Frances Foord obituary

Other lives: Midwife who spent 26 years in the Gambia before focusing on postnatal care in London

Colette Jones

15, Jan, 2023 @2:51 PM

Rising temperatures causing distress to foetuses, study reveals

Climate crisis increases risks for subsistence farmers in Africa who usually work throughout pregnancy

Damian Carrington Environment editor

08, Dec, 2022 @6:00 AM

‘Kangaroo mother care’ best for early and low birth-weight babies, says WHO

Premature or tiny newborns should go directly into sling worn by caregiver where possible, states latest advice

Linda Geddes Science correspondent

15, Nov, 2022 @4:38 PM

How has the world’s population grown since 1950?

The number of people in the world has tripled in 70 years. In this visual explainer, we examine where the growth has been – and how it will change in the future

Niels de Hoog, Pablo Gutiérrez, Liz Ford and Theresa Malone

14, Nov, 2022 @7:30 AM

‘The hospital has nothing’: Pakistan’s floods put pregnant women in danger

A third of the country is under water and a UN fund says almost 650,000 women in affected areas need maternity services

Shah Meer Baloch in Quetta

14, Sep, 2022 @3:00 AM

‘A sense of relief’: the Nigerian project helping babies to be born free of HIV

Lafiyan Yara is reducing transmission by training women to spot underlying issues and carry out tests

Pelumi Salako in Taraba

09, Sep, 2022 @6:00 AM

‘I felt I was being assessed on my skin colour’: Black women around the world share their birth stories

From Rio to Reykjavik, London to Shanghai, Black women face a maternal health crisis. Six mothers share their stories of pregnancy, birth – and racism

Grace Holliday

13, Aug, 2022 @6:00 AM

Sierra Leone backs bill to legalise abortion and end colonial-era law

Country hails ‘monumental step’ towards expanding reproductive rights at a time when the US has overturned them

Emmanuel Akinwotu, west Africa correspondent

06, Jul, 2022 @11:57 AM

US supreme court abortion reversal would be global ‘catastrophe’ for women

If Roe v Wade is overturned, it will encourage anti-choice groups – particularly in the developing world, activists warn