Qualitative study using oral history to identify the experiences of women and their coaches during the childbirth process in a public maternity hospital from Paraná State, Brazil between October/2012 and May/2013 including 11 women and 11 coaches. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, retextualized and thematically analyzed. The topic "experiences during accompanied childbirth" shows that women chose their husbands so they would feel safe, supported and reassured. The topic "work of professionals from the perspective of women and their coaches" shows that the professionals respected the women's choices, their preparation and pain-relief procedures. The topic "contradictions experienced during labor" indicates that the participants experienced restricted access to their coaches, in addition to organizational and behavioral aspects. The conclusion is that the participation of coaches in the current childbirth care model has advanced, however, some barriers still exist hindering the full implementation of humanized childbirth care.
Humanization of assistance; Parturition; Women's health