It deals about a qualitative research with a socio-historical approach, which aimed to historicize the knowing and doing of widwives at Maternidade Carmela Dutra of Florianópolis-SC, in the period from 1967 to 1994. The data were collected through semi-structered interviews with four midwives and categorized with basis on contents analysis. The results evidenced that the midwives acquired their knowing in the daily practice and in a regular course realized at other maternity in maintown. This knowing enabled them to take care of women before, during and post parturition and of newborns. This care was congruent with the biomedical model of the epoch, with the conducts and routines established in the studied maternity. These midwives had a fundamental rule in the health context of santa Catarina state.
Obstetrical Nursing; History of Nursing; parturition; Obstetrics