This national learning report from the UK reviews the 20 maternal deaths (defined as death during pregnancy/childbirth or shortly after the end of a pregnancy) that occurred between 1^st March and the 31^st May, 2020 – the period of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

A study from Wurzburg University in Germany has shown how the complexity of babies’ vocalisations increases rapidly during the first months of life.

An important question during the pandemic has been whether mother-to-infant SARS-CoV-2 transmission can occur during breastfeeding and, if so, whether the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risk.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have conducted a pilot study on the metabolic effects of a full vegan diet on healthy young children.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a direct impact on maternal perinatal mental health and an indirect one via changes in health care, social policy, and families’ social and economic circumstances. 

Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles have found evidence that maternal stress adversely affects the length of a baby's telomeres. Shortened telomeres have been linked to a higher risk of cancers, cardiovascular and other diseases, and earlier death.

The rate of prelabour caesarean section is increasing across the world, although there is evidence of negative cognitive outcomes for children.

A study from the United States has found that the brain development of mice embryos is harmed if their mothers take high amounts of folic acid during pregnancy.

A survey from North Carolina in the USA shows how the pandemic has impacted on the well-being of vulnerable families.

A study from Germany with 96 nine-month-old babies has thrown light on why babies can sometimes remember what they’ve learned and sometimes can’t.

A study from Germany with 96 nine-month-old babies has thrown light on why babies can sometimes remember what they’ve learned and sometimes can’t.

This excellent and timely commentary argues that the impact of the Covid pandemic on very young children has been overlooked.