THE SITUATION OF CHILDBIRTHS AT HOME THAT OCCUR IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This is  a bibliographical  study  of analysis  exploratory  and  qualitative,  which  aims  to describe  the  situation  of  childbirths  at  home  that  occur  in  Brazil.  Between  the sixteenth  and  eighteenth  century  the  childbirths  were  performed  at  home,  and realized  with  non-  interventionist,  assisted  by  midwives,  who  were  developing  their practices based on an empirical knowledge transmited from generation to generation. With  the  advent  of  capitalism,  medicine  acquired  a  relevant  position  because  the society  need  to  control  of  the  productive  forces,  causing  increased  interest  by reproducing  and  this  result  in  the  incorporation  of  obstetric  medicine  and, subsequently,  a  gradual  process  of  medicalization  and  institutionalization  of childbirth,  with    the  justification  of  the  supposed  potential  of  this  pathological  event. However,  despite  the  hegemony  of  model  hospital  medical  consolidated  from  the twentieth  century,  some  groups  of  resistance  have  realized  efforts  to  humanize  the childbirth  and  rescue  as  a  physiological  event.  Facing  a  grim  reality  and  recurrent violence  and  institutional  practices  and  conditions  dehumanized,  the  childbirths  at home    has  been  presented  as  an  option  for  women  want  to  realize    a  natural childbirth and independent of the routines of  hospitals. The results of this study are presented  dissertational-discursive,  indentifying  the  childbirth  like  a  cultural  practice in  communities  with  limited  access  to  health  services  and  as  an  alternative  to  the institutional  model.  It was found that according with socio-economic perspective, there are different conditions that characterize the occurrence of childbirth at home in Brazil.