Among the most painful rites of passage for moms is the first one: labor. But with the many methods available for reducing labor pain, which ones has research proven most effective?

Extremely premature babies are already at high risk for impaired brains, but those born to obese mothers may be at even more a disadvantage.

There's no place like home, but for newborns, there's no going back to the womb. Rocking out to mama music, however, appears to be good for their health, especially for preemies.

Newborns who arrive early often face respiratory problems since their lungs may not yet be fully developed. A new drug approved by the FDA joins four others to treat these problems.

Though more women worldwide are planning inductions or cesarean sections to give birth around specific schedules, evidence reveals it's safest to wait until the baby is ready to arrive.

Children exposed to as little as half an alcoholic drink a day in utero - even if they didn't have fetal alcohol syndrome - appeared to suffer in their achievement test scores.

Having many children may wear you out, but some unexpected health benefits have been linked to having multiple pregnancies - a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Smoking is associated with a number of complications for babies in the womb, including early deliveries and underweight babies. Scotland's smoking ban made in dent in both of these.

Baby snores might sound cute, but the problems they might cause later are not. Children with troubles breathing during sleep are at a much higher risk of later behavior problems.

Expectant mothers with depression or anxiety may debate whether to continue or cease taking their mood meds during pregnancy, and it appears their babies are likely affected either way.