The aim of this study was to understand social representations of puerperal women regarding healthcare during the prenatal, delivery and puerperal periods, within the regional context of public health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo. Taking a qualitative research approach, data were collected in 2004 using semi-structured interviews and were organized using the collective subject discourse method. The prenatal and birth humanization program (PHPN) was the theoretical reference point for discussing the results. The puerperal women's perspectives regarding healthcare during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle demonstrated the importance of interpersonal relationships, indispensability of technical quality in the care provided and correctness of the perception that the subject of attention is the woman, and that, as such, she should have effective participation in the process. It was concluded that the PHPN guidelines should be incorporated more broadly into healthcare practices aimed towards women and that specific indicators for assessing the care dimensions demonstrated by this study should be adopted.
Prenatal care; Delivery; Postpartum period; Health assessment; Qualitative research; Humanized delivery