How do you survive the first year of new motherhood? The support of a great group of friends helps. Viva talks to five stylish women about the ups and downs of modern motherhood.

If somebody you know is very, very pregnant, ring for a chat, but don't ask if they've had the baby yet.

People who can't have their own children are increasingly turning to surrogacy. Jarrod Booker talks to one couple and the woman who made them parents

Some mums-to-be are forced to travel huge distances for specialist help, says a Kaitaia midwife.

The Families Commission has reversed support for a paid year of parental leave, saying we can probably no longer afford it.

At 42, novelist Lana Citron thought the doctor’s words, ‘you’re pregnant’, were a joke. Here, she gives an honest account of becoming an older mother, of telling her oldest son and her ex-partner the news and why she feels lucky.

Parental leave could be extended from 14 weeks to six months.

Suspended midwife was also the subject of a formal complaint in 2004.