Women's participation in decision making involving health care promotion is a right that should be respected. This study aimed to better understand the need for care and the desire to participate in delivery decisions among pregnant women in Londrina, PR, Brazil. This study was based on social phenomenology. The pregnant women were interviewed from August to November, 2008. Statements from 14 pregnant women were analyzed and were divided into four categories: type of delivery preference; insecurity; the need for care; and decision-making in delivery. Results showed that although women expressed their needs and their wish to participate in the decisions regarding their delivery, they did not find favorable conditions so that their care needs and desire to participate in delivery decisions were made possible, a fact which interferes in face-to-face relationships and impedes the right to informed choices with respect to the delivery process.
Obstetrics nursing; Prenatal; Humanized delivery; Decision making; Qualitative research