Assistência ao parto e nascimento sob a ótica de puérperas atendidas em uma maternidade pública

Aim: to analyze labor and birth care, from the point of view of puerperal women cared for at a public maternity hospital. Method: a qualitative, descriptive study performed with ten puerperae at the obstetric center of a public institution in the city of Russas, Ceara, Brazil. Data were collected from recorded interviews, transcribed and analyzed using the collective subject discourse technique. Results: three central ideas emerged from the analysis: lack of humanized care and its limitations; dissatisfaction with the service offered; and information on the benefits of normal birth. Conclusion: this research indicates the need to reflect on health policies and practices directed to labor and birth care and how the different actors are inserted in this dynamic, understanding the limits and potentialities of health care for the highlighted group.