Pregnancy and Childbirth

Premature babies have been evacuated from Gaza hospitals and are transferred into Egypt at the Rafah Border crossing.

Late last year, a Darwin woman flew to the Gold Coast for a scan after being told she'd face a 10-week wait locally. Her doctor says it may have saved her breast.

Paralympian Kate Næss would love to still be competing in para-triathlon, but after having two children, she's had to face the reality of pursuing her passion or supporting her family. 

How hospitals approach the needs of a patient who is also breastfeeding can have a significant impact on both mum and bub, and most Australian hospitals aren't offering accredited support. 

After seven years trying for a family, Marni Cochrane was more than halfway through her first pregnancy with identical twin girls when they were diagnosed with a rare and potentially life-threatening medical condition.

Vaginal birth after a previous caesarean shouldn't be a battle, but making it happen in Australia can be exhausting for some expectant parents.

After dipping into her annual leave to stay close to her premature son, Kat Averill is now among advocates calling for an extension to the Paid Parental Leave Scheme.

Many perinatal specialists believe that new mothers need more support in the fourth trimester — the 12 weeks after birth. They're turning to social media for it.

The ABC has heard from several women who gave birth at home after a negative hospital experience, as part of its Birth Project investigation. It comes as a Senate inquiry into birth trauma was recently launched in NSW.

New mothers in Australia are expected to be back on their feet quickly after giving  birth. But in many ancient cultures, the first weeks are a precious time to recover and bond with the baby.

Rates of labour induction have increased substantially in recent years. Is it making childbirth safer — or have the scales tipped too far? 

Australia has seen a rise in "zero-alcohol" beverages on the market. But some still contain low levels of alcohol, leading to potential confusion for customers, especially those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Blackall has had almost 20 babies born this year, but parents have to travel more than 200 kilometres to a birthing hospital and some women are away from home for up to six weeks. 

Artificial wombs have only been trialled on animals, but recent breakthroughs bring the technology closer for humans. Some experts have expressed ethical concerns.

Ashwin Ramachandran is on a mission to help increase access to fertility tests for men and start more conversations about male infertility.

For years, sperm donors believed their identity would remain secret, but the explosion of online DNA databases changed everything, writes Ian Smith.

Midwives and parents fight to save private maternity care at St John of God Hospital in Bendigo after it was revealed the service was under review with closure being one likely outcome.

After the Streeters lost their newborn son to necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), they began a journey to build awareness and support for research into the devastating condition.

The South Australian doctors' union says women seeking pregnancy terminations will continue to be consulted in a mouldy and dilapidated building for up to three months.

Dual Olympian Alyce Wood found managing her exercise during pregnancy challenging due to a lack of research on the topic. She's now returned to sport postpartum but rejects the idea of "bouncing back".

Doctors who care for some of WA's most sick children fear plans to move the state's main women's and babies' hospital south of the river risk increased "mortality and morbidity" of critically unwell infants.

With a shortage of midwives forcing birthing services at a rural hospital to be shuttered for over three months, mothers who were forced to travel hours away from home have spoken about their "frustrating" and "traumatic" journey.

Elahe Yazdani says she was forced to induce her baby in 2020, with little English and less communication from hospital staff, and she still carries the trauma from her childbirth experience.

Ivy was born 15 weeks early and spent the first few months of her life in intensive care. When she finally came home, her parents found most people did not understand what they had experienced.  

The case of a teenage boy in detention shines a light on how some of WA's most vulnerable children are missing out on support for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder due to a crippling shortage of child health professionals.