Oldest mother at work four weeks after birth

Professor: mother and child would benefit if 'epidural epidemic' gave way to yoga and hypnosis

Nearly a quarter of all births in Britain are by caesarean section: a figure 'unacceptably and needlessly high'

Services set up to reduce demand for caesareans as midwives report trauma cases 'growing at alarming rate'

Britain's leading obstetricians have criticised the growing trend among celebrities of rushing to lose post-pregnancy weight, saying it sets a dangerous precedent for 'normal' mothers when they are at their most vulnerable.

Pregnant women will have the right to a Caesarean birth on the NHS even if there is no medical reason for it, say government experts who have backtracked from plans to restrict the operations.

Emma Cook: I am plagued by memories of the care I received from hospital midwives before my emergency caesarean