Mothers in early 30s have lowest risk of premature birth, study finds

Women in their early thirties have a 1% chance of early birth, with the risk rising to 1.2% for those over 40, analysis shows

Mothers in their early 30s have the lowest chance of having a premature baby, new research has found, with the risk rising significantly once the mother passes 40.

Records of more than 165,000 pregnant women were analysed, showing that the likelihood of having a baby more than three weeks early among women aged over 40 was 20% higher than those in their early 30s. However, the actual risk remained low, increasing from 1% to 1.2%.

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Folic acid: new research is a 'game-changer' in push to fortify British foods

Study concludes there is no need for an upper limit on folate, removing a further barrier to mandatory fortification that would prevent birth defects

Bread and flour should be fortified with folic acid in the UK to help prevent babies from being born with neural tube defects such as spina bifida, according to new research.

A study by Queen Mary University of London and the School of Advanced Study at the University of London concludes that there is no need for an upper limit of folate intake.

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'I’m pregnant, not incapacitated': PM Jacinda Ardern on baby mania

New Zealand prime minister determined to carry on as normal despite interest in pregnancy

It is business as usual for Jacinda Ardern. Seven days after the announcement of her pregnancy, the New Zealand prime minister is out and about under grey skies on a chilly morning in Dunedin to perform that staple of politicians – unveiling a plaque on a historic building.

Related: #knitforJacinda: New Zealanders join forces to make baby clothes for the needy

Aw and he brought us bubbles to toast @jacindaardern and @NZClarke, a Project first! pic.twitter.com/Kho0OksHfN

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Yes, Jacinda Ardern can combine work with a baby – but it’s not for every woman | Chitra Ramaswamy

With enough support, the New Zealand PM will certainly be able to continue to work as a new parent. But women who choose to be full-time mothers should not be made to feel ashamed

The reaction to New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s pregnancy in office is two-pronged. First, the standard woke response. Of course a woman can be prime minister and a mum! Women are multitaskers! This whole fierce story represents all that is anti-Trump about the world! As Ardern herself put it: “It’s what ladies do.” Sample that, Beyoncé.

Second, the standard misogynistic response, which will be given all the attention it deserves.

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My 18-year-old daughter is having a baby with my stepson | Dear Mariella

This may turn out to be the terrible mistake you foresee but you must get behind this young couple and support them, says Mariella Frostrup

The dilemma I have been with my husband for 13 years, married for 11. We have children but not together. My daughter was five when we met, she is now 18 and my husband’s only child is 22. He recently moved back home with us and he and my daughter formed a very close relationship with each other. Back in July 2017, it came to light that my stepson and my daughter were having a sexual relationship. This has been going on for six months now and I recently found out that she is pregnant. I have seen my daughter for a total of an hour in the past five months as she moved out with my stepson to his mother’s. We have tried to talk on the phone, but it never ends well. I know some people feel it’s OK because they are not blood related, but they were raised as family and my husband and I feel betrayed and our family circle is broken. I miss my daughter like crazy, but I worry that the more I try the more damage is being caused. I want us to be a part of each other’s lives, but I am too hurt and can’t accept this. My heart is just too broken and I’m confused, conflicted and at a loss.

Mariella replies Get over it. These kids are young adults now and about to have a baby. Whatever your reservations were and no matter how justified your misgivings, the horse has well and truly bolted and your only option is to get behind your daughter and stepson and give them your support.

However justified, your rigid opposition may be partly the cause

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Jacinda Ardern is not the first female world leader to give birth in office – video report

Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, announces she is pregnant alongside her partner, Clarke Gayford. The last time an elected world leader was pregnant in office was in 1990 when Pakistan's prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, had her daughter Bakhtwar

• Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand prime minister announces first pregnancy

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The Guardian view on Jacinda Ardern: pregnant with meaning | Editorial

New Zealand was the first country to give votes to women. Now it gives childcare to the prime minister’s partner

Of course it ought not to be news that someone with an important job has a baby and then gets on with their work while their partner gets on with the childcare. Men do it all the time. Even some women do, if they are rich and powerful enough to turn their childcare over to paid help. But the announcement by Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, that she will have a child, take six weeks’ parental leave, and then leave the bulk of the childcare to her partner, Clarke Gayford, is still important. It’s an assertion of everyday equality from the first country in the world to give women the vote.

Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford are not exactly a couple like any other: she’s the prime minister, and he’s a television presenter, whose show centres on him killing and eating fish. But their relative prominence makes the impact of their decision greater. Even Mr Gayford’s screen persona as a macho outdoor man increases the significance of their announcement. It demonstrates that they recognise there’s an important sense in which neither of their high-powered jobs is going to be as influential as the work they do as parents.

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Down's syndrome test could see condition disappear, C of E warns

Church says new NHS test could lead to more terminations and fewer people born with condition

A new advanced test for Down’s syndrome to be offered to pregnant women this year raises the prospect of people with the condition disappearing from UK society as terminations are expected to rise, the Church of England has warned.

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), a safer form of screening, is to be rolled out by the NHS this year. It will be offered to about 10,000 women a year who are considered to have a higher likelihood of giving birth to a baby with Down’s syndrome or two less common genetic conditions, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes.

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New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announces she's pregnant with first child – video

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has announced she is pregnant with her first child. The deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, will take over to allow Ardern to take six weeks of maternity leave after the baby is born.

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Surrogate mother calls for 'old-fashioned' laws on births to be changed

Surrogacy UK chair Sarah Jones says genetic parents should have legal authority over new babies

Campaigners have called for urgent reform of “old-fashioned” laws that make surrogate mothers the legal parents of the children they deliver.

Sarah Jones, four-time surrogate mother and chair of the charity Surrogacy UK, said current legislation was old fashioned and did not reflect the fact that surrogate mothers often “have absolutely no wish to keep the baby”.

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Ikea invites customers to 'pee on this ad' to check for pregnancy – and a crib deal

The Swedish store’s new ad is made of paper which contains similar technology to a pregnancy test – and if it’s positive, the ad reveals a special sale

Ikea, the Swedish homeware giant, has come up with a novel way to get would-be parents streaming through the doors to the company’s cavernous outlets – a magazine advert for baby cribs that doubles as a pregnancy test.

Ikea is encouraging the possibly pregnant to pee on the ad in its latest catalogue, the paper of which contains similar technology to a pregnancy test. If the test is positive, then the ad reveals a special discounted price on cribs.

Ikea wants you to pee on this ad and if you’re pregnant, it'll give you a discount on a crib https://t.co/MjuUiQSkZz http://pic.twitter.com/wAMXt8IdkJ

Related: At last, an ad that makes my family feel good to be black and British. Thanks Ikea | Michelle De Leon

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Was Serena Williams unrealistic to try to return so soon after giving birth?

The tennis champion has withdrawn from the Australian Open three months after having her first child. So, when is the right time to come back to sport?

Being a new parent is exhausting, but there are additional physical challenges for a post-partum mother – including recovery from childbirth, bleeding and dealing with breastfeeding. And those challenges are only magnified when you are a top sports star hoping to return to elite level. Which is why it is perhaps unsurprising that Serena Williams, who had her first child in September, has withdrawn from the Australian Open, saying her fitness isn’t yet at the level she wants.

Related: New mum? It's a great time to start running

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