Beyond the birth wars : diverse assemblages of care

Childbirth has been transformed by the increased use of life-saving medical technologies and a greater understanding of the complex interplay between care environments, emotional states, complex biophysical processes and ongoing physical and mental health for babies and mothers. Maternity care has also been subject to broader changes in healthcare economies that reposition mothers as rational consumers in a healthcare marketplace. Drawing on empirical research, we identify problems with imagining maternity care and the cared-for subject through ‘choice’ alone and explore how the diverse assemblages that converge in birthing spaces could be better attended to through alternative ‘logics of care’.