Essential reading for every woman who is or may one day become a mother.

Women are told they have pregnancy and birth care choices. But their only real choice is which side to take in the birth wars.

Each day battles are waged in hospitals and clinics around Australia: between those who view birth as natural and those who view birth as medical. Both sides care deeply about women and babies and, driven by deeply held beliefs, both sides claim they should manage birth for women. They are the doctors and midwives, or 'mechanics' and 'organics', vying for power in The Birth Wars.

Based on extensive interviews, national research and moving personal stories, The Birth Wars exposes the cold reality of what happens to women and families when these two sides clash. Real women speak from the heart in this book - from those empowered by their birth experiences, to the many left traumatised, bereaved or confused.

Writer, journalist and mother Mary-Rose MacColl delves into the history of birth in Australia, the high rates of medical intervention, and the prejudices that continue to drive care practices. She shows why organics and mechanics must work together to put families' needs at the centre of birth.

The Birth Wars will help Australian women to navigate one of the most important events in their lives.