Care practices have raised some questions concerning the attention given to women, specifically when it comes to issues of extreme importance in Public Health’s approach of pre-natal care. The present study intends to discuss the scope and challenges of the integral care in maternal health, taking into consideration the experiences of one of the authors in the health scenarios from both Brazil and Portugal. A comparative analysis was conducted on the format of the pre-natal classes offered to groups of pregnant women, a frequent practice of Primary Care in both countries. The method of participant observation of two groups of pregnant women, one in each country was used. The organization of each group is presented and evaluated regarding its methodological and practical settings. The analysis of the experiences indicates that both groups can be considered as informative or educative, since the chosen methodology and structure was formed by lectures with predefined themes; there was reduced reflection and empowerment possibilities, due to the fragmented presentation form, and this could also mean diminished reflection on the changes of the feminine role. It is thus concluded that the need for offering care for women in different periods of their lives should include a continuous fight for an amplified and integral approach, with emphasis in the care network and in health promotion.
Maternal Health; Expanded Clinic; Primary Care; Brazil; Portugal