47 h. ago Born in the forest: the women giving birth alone in the Kashmiri mountains

Far from hospitals, nomadic Gujjar women routinely go into labour – and die – on their herder communities’ long seasonal treksDawn had just broken across the trail through the Pir Panjal mountains when Fatima Deader felt the first labour pains. She and her family had almost reached the midway point of their 134 mile (215km) trek from Rajouri in Jammu to Kashmir’s higher pastures. Mist clung to the forest, and the ground was slick beneath the feet of the caravan of about 70 pastoralists who had stopped to camp together the previous night.A week from her due date, she had been travelling on horseback and assumed the discomfort she felt was fatigue – until pain tore through her body. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago African countries boost family planning funding in ‘shift from dependency’ after aid cuts

Zambia, Zimbabwe and DRC take steps to protect decades of progress in reproductive health, as donor fatigue leads to steep cuts in aidAfrican governments are boosting funding for family planning programmes as cuts in foreign aid threaten decades of reproductive health progress and access to birth control for millions of women and girls.Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are the latest countries to announce increased budgets for family planning supplies and services. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Three countries boost family planning funding in ‘powerful shift from dependency’ in Africa after aid cuts

Zambia, Zimbabwe and DRC take steps to protect decades of progress in reproductive health, as donor fatigue leads to steep cuts in aidSeveral African governments are boosting funding for family planning programmes as cuts in foreign aid threaten decades of reproductive health progress and access to birth control for millions of women and girls.Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are the latest to announce increased budgets for family planning supplies and services. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘For the women who gave birth in the dark’: a portrait of motherhood in Gaza

Diana Shams wrote a book because ‘no one explains how to carry your baby through fire, hunger and fear – and still sing to her at bedtime’She used to worry about screen time. She used to fret over sugar. She used to dwell on what cartoon character might be the right one to put on her son’s next birthday cake.“I thought being a mother meant sleepless nights, picky eaters, school runs, messy rooms and too much laundry,” writes the author Diana Shams. “I used to think motherhood was hard.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Women must be warned of home birth risks and have access to skilled midwives, experts say

Exclusive: Pregnancy experts warn of inadequate medical advice and lack of safe and reliable careWomen must be given clearer warnings on the potentially fatal dangers of giving birth at home and should only be aided by experienced midwives, experts have said.Maternity services worldwide are dealing with an increase in the number of women with more complex pregnancies. Many are choosing to have their baby in a familiar environment, in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Some choose a home birth because having their first baby in hospital was “deeply traumatic” and they are reluctant to repeat the experience. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago What it's like giving birth in a war zone: Ukrainian mothers tell of sheltering underground, going into labour as explosions ring out and hiding their babies from Russian soldiers

Anastasiia Serha is one of the Ukrainian women who gave birth during the siege of Kherson. She has told the Daily Mail of how it unfolded.

Events

2 w. ago ‘Not a luxury, a necessity‘: how aid cuts to birth control harm Senegal’s women

‘The women here are warriors,’ says a midwife in Joal, and contraception is key to their health and life chances. But now UK and US aid cuts threaten to undo years of progressThe fishing quay on the beach at Joal is usually so crowded with women dealing with the day’s catch that you can barely glimpse the sea. But today it is quiet, just an expanse of broken shells and plastic bags that leads down to the water’s edge.Last night, as is increasingly common here on Senegal’s coast, there was a storm and heavy rain so the men could not go to sea safely in their open wooden fishing boats, known as pirogues. Many houses were flooded, so women stayed at home for the day, baling out bedrooms and dealing with the aftermath. Times are tough. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago NHS and UKHSA urges pregnant women to 'act now' before they give birth

Health experts have stressed it could save your baby's life

Politics