Recent related articles:

Once labour starts, it's generally considered advisable for the mother to stay at home as long as possible: if she rushes into hospital early, more medical interventions during the birth usually follow. Fathers are very important at this point: research by the University of Worcester found that they can be very influential as to whether mothers head straight for hospital or hang on at home.

The European Commission will be voting on the Regulation of the provision of food information to consumers on 15th June 2010 and MEPs will then decide how to inform consumers about the nutritional content of food.

Commenting on the finding on smoking and its affects on the blood pressure of newborns from the Karolinska Institutet, published 25th January 2010 in ‘Hypertension' the Journal of the American Heart Association, Janet Fyle, Professional Policy Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said:   "These findings support what we know; that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing fetus. The RCM would urge pregnant women who smoke to seek advice and support from their midwife about stopping smoking, for the benefit of their own long-term health. This would also benefit the health of their child."