New Zealand mothers are considered among the luckiest in the world in a new report listing the best - and worst - places to be a mum.

Today is International Day of the Midwife and we reflect on the changing face of midwives in New Zealand.

Pregnant mothers who take omega-3 fatty acid supplements to boost their baby's brain power are probably wasting their time, according to a major Australian study.

Kate Hawkesby tells Catherine Milford why she gave up a high-profile career to be a stay-at-home mum - her best job yet.

Human skin from infertile men has been used to create sperm for the first time, in a scientific development which could offer hope to those who cannot have children.

A new study has revealed that women with wide hips are more likely to have one-night stands and more sexual partners in general.

Alicia Silverstone has risked the wrath of parenting groups by sharing her controversial views on motherhood in a new book.

Some of New Zealand's most vulnerable premature babies will soon take part in ground-breaking research.

The Waikato District Health Board has lifted its ban on women having their labours and births photographed professionally - provided no intervention is required.

An Italian woman having IVF treatment is carrying twins that are not her own following an apparent hospital mix-up.

Paul and Angela Ashcroft were on a plane, flying somewhere over Australia, when their twin daughters Nicole and Peta were born.

Fertility Associates, the country's largest fertility services provider, has opened its first clinic in Malaysia.

The height and weight of pregnant women is commonly misreported when they book in for maternity care, putting them and their babies at risk, research shows.

A rural doctor has been found guilty of professional misconduct for giving women drugs to induce abortions.

A genetic test that can predict menopause - allowing women to better plan when to start a family - could be available within five years.

Parents of stillborn babies have been banned from allowing volunteers who provide keepsakes of the children into Waikato Hospital as part of tightened building access.

A petrol station attendant believes she was let go from her job when a new lessee took over because she was pregnant.

Michael Laws appears set to become a dad again at the age of 56.

A fiercely anti-abortion lobby group is putting pressure on the National Party not to select an experienced doctor whose job has involved authorising and performing abortions.

Brody Sheppard is doing what any newborn should, even though his due date is not for another three weeks.

A New Zealand academic says the authors of a study suggesting male circumcision has major health benefits have confused cleanliness with godliness.

Researchers tested the increasingly popular theory that probiotics effectively soothe babies with the poorly understood condition.

Family and friends commented on what beautiful skin Elliott Gulliver had when she was born - unaware of the jaundice her olive skin was masking.

I was a teenager when I had an abortion. No woman should ever have to reveal that to anyone for any reason.

Scientists are launching a trial to establish whether a Mediterranean diet could help boost the fertility of couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

A pregnant mother's eating habits may influence her unborn child's chances of developing Alzheimer's, new research suggests.

Inactive mothers may be preventing their children getting enough exercise by setting a bad example, a study suggests.

Too much stress can lead to infertility in women, a study has shown for the first time.