Mothers and children sitting on mats while waiting at Gorom Gorom Hospital in Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta)

A mother carrying her child and queuing for food handouts withother women at Mother Teresa's Mission in Calcutta, India

A Saudi mother stays with her child who is in a hospital cot at Moda Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Child held close in a shawl wrap, Nigeria

A veiled woman, in brightly coloured robes holding her baby while watching a village festival in Nalu, Rajasthan, India

A smiling mother holds her two children in the township of Soweto, South Africa

Mother with child in a baby carrier, Hong Kong

Woman with tribal markings on her face holding her baby close, Northern Nigeria

Woman and girl child in rural Nepal.

Woman with child in sling, Paro, Bhutan

Woman sitting holding a child in Northern Nigeria

Women queuing with their children at the rural hospital at Basse in Gambia

Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra). With her only cub nearby, this mother is displaying great alertness. Hebrides, Scotland

A Pregnant Woman