Pregnancy and Childbirth

A whistleblower midwife who alleged dozens of patients had received unsafe maternity care at a Queensland hospital says she has been vindicated by a health watchdog's critical report into the state-run facility. 

Whooping cough case numbers in Queensland this year are almost 23 times the number at the same period last year.

They check the baby's position and listen to the heartbeat, but they aren't qualified midwives. Parents say a "dangerous" new breed of birth worker has emerged to fill the gap for women wanting to birth outside hospital.

Luke McClounan says he felt like he could not speak about his mental health struggles after the birth of his twins.

An email obtained by the ABC confirms Queanbeyan Hospital has stopped providing surgical terminations for fetal anomalies and medical reasons, restricting access to a legal and time-critical form of reproductive health care.

After giving birth to Henry from her mother's donated womb, Kirsty Bryant began showing signs of organ rejection before she could have another child. Despite the change in plans, she feels "so lucky" to have her baby boy.

A public hospital in regional New South Wales is restoring abortion services after an ABC investigation revealed the executive had banned staff from providing terminations to patients for non-medical reasons.

Leaked documents show staff at the public hospital in Orange can no longer provide abortion services for patients who present without medical complications, further restricting regional women's access to time-critical reproductive health care. 

A prominent anti-abortion campaigner who helped draft controversial proposed changes to South Australia's laws on the issue says she applied pressure to Liberal MP Jing Lee to abandon a deal with a colleague.

Decriminalisation was meant to give women access to safe, affordable abortions as a form of health care. Five years on, the ABC can reveal glaring examples of the system failing people in rural and regional areas at almost every step. 

A Liberal upper house MP has apologised for reneging on a deal with a colleague ahead of a vote on a bill seeking to reform South Australia's abortion laws, saying she felt pressured by an "external visitor" on the night.

The Mackay Hospital and Health Service says a $8.12 million review has led to significant change, but women who were affected by "inadequate care" at the hospital's gynaecology and obstetrics unit say there is still more work to be done.

A 40 per cent drop in patient numbers over 10 years means Gosford Private Hospital will end birth services in March, leaving a public facility in Gosford as the only birthing hospital available in the region.

Meanwhile research published by the Society of Family Planning has found abortion rates have stayed the same overall, despite an outright ban in some states. 

AFLW star and Olympic gold medallist Chloe Dalton is expecting her first child later this month after going through IVF with her partner Riley, and she hopes there are more open discussions about fertility in the women's sporting space.

Experts say that while Donald Trump and the Republican party say IVF treatments in the US are not at risk, signs are pointing otherwise.

As Australia's population nears 30 million, this is the story of how we got here and where we might be heading next.

A controversial bill to change South Australia's abortion laws has been narrowly defeated in the state parliament's upper house.

South Australia's upper house has narrowly voted down a proposal to amend abortion laws so that people who want to terminate their pregnancy after 28 weeks would be required to deliver their baby alive. 

The national birth rate has hit a record low and is now at a critical level, with economic consequences for the future.