Pregnancy and Childbirth Around the World

The best of BBC's features on what to expect when you're expecting and what happens after.

By BBC News

Why babies all over the world are now sleeping in boxes
bbc.co.uk - By Vanessa Barford
Nearly three years ago, the Magazine reported on the Finnish baby box - a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys the state gives to expectant mothers. The story went viral and was read by 10 million in
In pictures: Inside the maternity bags of expectant mothers
bbc.co.uk
Photographers working for the charity WaterAid took a peek inside the maternity bags of expectant mothers around the world. The decision on what to take is in part dictated by whether the hospital has
Finland
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
bbc.co.uk - By Helena Lee
For 75 years, Finland's expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It's like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve
How much do women around the world pay to give birth?
bbc.co.uk - By Mariko Oi
http://vod-pro-ww-live.akamaized.net/mps_h264_hi/public/news/world/1145000/1145309_h264_1500k.mp4?__gda__=1550623055_7e59403e226625b98e1a506c22e91146 Money should be the least of your concerns when you
How accurate are 'due dates'?
bbc.co.uk - By Keith Moore
When Penelope Chaney met up with her friend, Eleanor Marshall, she had good news to share - she was pregnant. But Eleanor also had good news... she was pregnant too. And amazingly, both had been given
Why I gave up my baby
bbc.co.uk
In South Korea being an unmarried mother is considered shameful, so many young women feel unable to bring up their children. But there is a stigma associated with adoption too. As a result, large numbers
The unexpected benefits of taking your toddler to work
bbc.co.uk - By Madeleine Morris
Some might consider taking their children to work a recipe for disaster, but the BBC's Madeleine Morris found there were unexpected benefits when her young daughter joined her on an overseas assignment.
Breastfeeding: Was there ever a golden age?
bbc.co.uk - By Kate Dailey
Before she went on maternity leave, a British politician called for a detente in the culture wars surrounding breastfeeding. Breast is best, as the saying goes, but it has never been the only option -
Bully in the next bedroom - are we in denial about sibling aggression?
bbc.co.uk - By William Kremer
Siblings routinely pick on one another, but when does bickering become bullying - and what can parents do about it? Sibling relationships can be difficult, and never more so than in childhood. But society
Why children as young as three are sent to boarding school in China
bbc.co.uk - By Madeleine Morris
Family ties are hugely important in China, but thousands of Chinese parents are still sending children as young as three away to boarding school. Why do they do it? Kelly Jiang bounces into her kindergarten
100 Women 2015: Desperate not to have children
bbc.co.uk
Some women are desperate to have children - but some are desperate not to. Here two who want to stay child-free explain why. Holly Brockwell, 29, from London, has been trying to get sterilised, while Tehran
China offers 'childbirth pain' lessons for men
bbc.co.uk
A hospital in China is trying to teach fathers-to-be about the experience of giving birth. A simulator uses electric currents to stimulate the skin to recreate some of the pain of childbirth. Medical believe
Where new dads are encouraged to take months off work
bbc.co.uk - By Andrea Rangecroft
In some countries the idea of paternity leave - when a father takes time off work to stay at home with a new child - has yet to take hold. In Sweden, which has been encouraging fathers to take paternity
The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures
bbc.co.uk - By Helena Lee
Would you put your baby or toddler outside in the freezing cold for their lunchtime nap? Most Nordic parents wouldn't give it a second thought. For them it's part of their daily routine. Daytime temperatures
North Korea's storytelling autocrats
bbc.co.uk - By Alison Gee
North Korea's leaders are often thought of as ruthless, secretive autocrats but rarely as popular children's authors. However, between issuing instructions about prison camps and the development of nuclear
Why do people eat placentas?
bbc.co.uk - By Laura Devlin
It is a waste product from childbirth, so why would anyone choose to eat a raw human placenta? It sustains life in the womb and has fulfilled its primary purpose once it leaves the mother during childbirth.
Why one Canadian midwife won't be giving birth at home
bbc.co.uk - By Micah Luxen
A Canadian midwife has helped almost 200 women deliver their babies, but when she gives birth in July, there won't be a midwife by her side. Across the country, the health system is not keeping up with
Circumcision, the ultimate parenting dilemma
bbc.co.uk - By Cordelia Hebblethwaite
While Europe increasingly questions the practice of circumcising boys, US paediatricians are about to say that the medical case for it is getting stronger. Most US adult men are circumcised, but the number
100 Women 2015: Hong Kong mum and her Philippine nanny
bbc.co.uk - By Grace Tsoi
Of the seven or so million residents in the former British colony of Hong Kong, nearly 5% - some 340,000 - are foreign domestic helpers. Nearly half come from either the Philippines or Indonesia, and indispensable
Guns at home: The question US parents hate to ask
bbc.co.uk - By Kate Dailey
This week in the US, at least two children have died after being shot by other children. For American parents, questions of gun safety are starting to become de rigueur for potential playdates. When my
#BBCtrending: Meet my transgender kid
bbc.co.uk
A video about Milla, a transgender child from New Zealand, recently reached 7 million views on Facebook. It was made and posted by Milla's mother. It's not the first such video. On various social media
Japan: The worst developed country for working mothers?
bbc.co.uk - By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
Japanese women are more likely to have a university degree than men, and the number of women in employment has been rising steadily for 10 years - but, for a range of reasons, a woman who has had children
The family with 34 children - and counting
bbc.co.uk - By Rob Brown
Jeane and Paul Briggs have 34 children - 29 of whom were adopted from other countries including Mexico, Ghana and Ukraine. Now their family is about to get even bigger. In 1985, Jeane Briggs was at church
Six childcare gurus who have changed parenting
bbc.co.uk - By Alex Campbell
It's been 70 years since the idea of the "good enough mother" was popularised by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. Since then, there's been a plethora of parenting advice, with everything from the naughty
Do children's toys influence their career choices?
bbc.co.uk - By Vanessa Barford
A government minister says gender-specific toys harm girls' career opportunities. But how much do the toys children play with shape their future prospects in the job market? Everyone has memories of toys
Tiger Mum or Cat Dad? Claws out over parenting styles
bbc.co.uk - By BBC Trending
Move over Tiger Mother - there's a new cat on the block. Perhaps you're familiar with the super-strict mum who pushes her kids to be the best at school, sport, and music - no matter what the cost. It's
Hot car deaths: The children left behind
bbc.co.uk - By Tom Geoghegan
Every few days in the US, there are local media reports about young children dying from heatstroke, or being rescued, after being left to bake in parked cars. Why does it happen so often? With the click
What medieval Europe did with its teenagers
bbc.co.uk - By William Kremer
Today, there's often a perception that Asian children are given a hard time by their parents. But a few hundred years ago northern Europe took a particularly harsh line, sending children away to live work
Rhode Island
Closing the 'word gap' by teaching parents to talk to babies
bbc.co.uk - By Laura Trevelyan
http://vod-pro-ww-live.akamaized.net/mps_h264_hi/public/news/world/1057000/1057895_h264_1500k.mp4?__gda__=1550746969_caf6cd32e139c5e8cc2921b685fbf6d8 An ambitious attempt is underway in the US state of