Obstetric violence: perception of puerperal women in normal delivery

Abstract

One in four Brazilian women who had a normal birth reported having suffered obstetric violence during childbirth. The violence can be characterized by the appropriation of women's bodies and reproductive processes practiced in different forms and types by health professionals through dehumanized care and hyper-medicalization and pathologization of physiological processes, taking away from women their freedom and autonomy. The objective of this work was to analyze the knowledge of postpartum women about obstetric violence during childbirth. It was sought through bibliographic research, followed by a survey of national literature, made through critical and careful reading, thus aspiring to a theoretical deepening on the subject, the works were classified according to year, author, objective, and results. The results showed that women suffer physical, psychological, and institutional violence before, during, and after childbirth, violence that occurs through abusive practices, interventions without the support of scientific evidence, and the woman's consent. In addition, the loss of protagonism, autonomy, and freedom of women was seen, and many of them are unaware of what obstetric violence is. It is concluded that obstetric violence is still a fact experienced by many women, and the lack of knowledge and clarification on the part of professional’s leaves women in a position of vulnerability.