An eye-opening work of reportage and advocacy, Belly Woman chronicles the inside journey through an unfolding global health crisis and the struggle to save the lives of young mothers.

"May, 2014. Sierra Leone is ranked the country with the highest death rate of pregnant women in the world. The same month Ebola crosses in from neighbouring Guinea. Arriving a few weeks later, Dr Benjamin Black unexpectedly finds himself at the centre of the largest ever Ebola outbreak. From the impossible decisions of the maternity ward to the moral dilemmas of the Ebola Treatment Centres. One mistake, one error of judgment, could spell disaster. Every day the maternity ward receives women in critical conditions, often indistinguishable from deadly Ebola infections. As the epidemic encircles the hospital the stakes reach breaking point. What is safe? What is deadly? The team close the maternity ward, a devastating blow to women and health workers. In the months that follow Benjamin's journey collides with the epidemic's pivotal events. He recalls being present as the disease takes grip, spreading exponentially, colleagues get infected and the international response splutters into action. Returning after the epidemic, Benjamin reckons with the demons of the past, trying to help build a different, more resilient, future"--Publisher's description.