Pregnancy and Parenting

The world's youngest mother, Lina Medina, gave birth to a healthy baby boy at age 5 in 1939. But how could that happen?

By Dave Roos

In most of the world, infant formula is taken for granted. But during a shortage, you start to wonder how mothers got along before it was widespread.

By Alia Hoyt

Many families felt duped and deceived by the sperm banks they used after their children were born with heritable illnesses. So they sued. Are strict regulations next?

By Naomi Cahn

Parents in the U.S. are spanking their kids much less often than they did in the past. A study looked at the decline between 1993 and 2017.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

HowStuffWorks contributor Cherise Threewitt was due to deliver her baby in late March. She never knew that would mean she'd be having her child in the midst of a global pandemic.

By Cherise Threewitt

For new parents, one of the biggest challenges is getting their newborn to sleep. We talked to an expert to find out the biggest mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

By Wendy Bowman

An Austrian woman who had just given birth began producing milk in breast tissue located in her vulva.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

We mostly associate postpartum depression with new moms. But studies show that new dads experience it, as well.

By John Donovan

What harm could it do, right? Turns out, quite a bit.

By Jesslyn Shields

The dark line that runs down a pregnant woman's belly is completely normal, and it even has a fancy Latin name.

By Jesslyn Shields

Last time the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on corporal punishment, it was to say we shouldn't spank children in schools. Now it says we shouldn't spank children at home, either.

By Jesslyn Shields

Believe it or not, about one in every 2,500 babies is born with a tooth or three.

By Jesslyn Shields

And you thought you felt old because you had three kids? While that may be true, they're not the only thing to blame.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Having a baby? You can name your little bundle of joy anything you want to, right? Well, not so fast — there are some rules.

By Laurie L. Dove

Animals of all stripes lick their babies clean after birth. Why is it that human women don't?

By Stell Simonton

Doulas don't have any medical training but many mothers depend on them to be in the delivery room to offer support. What do mothers like about doulas and how do you become one?

By Alia Hoyt

C-sections are life-saving interventions for many women. Could they also be messing with natural selection?

By Kate Kershner

More women are choosing to ingest their encapsulated placentas because of the supposed benefits they get after childbirth. But what does science have to say?

By Alia Hoyt

You've tried to conceive and can't, so you adopt. Then boom, you get pregnant. What gives?

By Alia Hoyt

A new study confirms that sperm counts of men in Western countries are plummeting.

By Sarah Gleim

Very little is known about what or how fetuses see. This study shows their vision capabilities are more advanced than previously thought.

By Alia Hoyt

Many latchkey kids remember their time fondly, even though they wouldn't leave their own kids alone.

By Dave Roos

Sometimes, their old-school methods are benign. But other times, they're seriously risky, according to a new study.

By Kate Kershner

The registry would be used to track donor well-being and learn more about breast cancer and other health risks. But for some, it raises privacy concerns.

By Chris Opfer

A new device tested on fetal lambs could change care for human preemies, immersing them in a "biobag" with lab-made amniotic fluid, keeping them underwater for weeks.

By Patrick J. Kiger