The purpose was to know experiences and meanings of men and women in Perinatal Psychoprofilaxis (PP) in order to value this method of training for childbirth. Four pregnant couples were interviewed during PP, and 5 couples and 3 women, with psychoprofilactic history, were observed introducing their babies. The PP gave knowledge, developed abilities and reinforced attitudes of women and men for pregnancy care, gestation, childbirth and nursing. It also permitted them to face difficulties with personnel and medical attention. Mother's trained behaviors (ways of breathing, abdominal distention, assuming lateral decubitus position) and paternal presence during the childbirth annoyed gynecologists. Findings indicate that the PP is advisable to get well-being, but medical services are not prepared to include it, because of the present cultural and institutional context, characterized by masculine domination and feminized reproductive processes, and the current weakness of prevention politics at reproductive health.
psychoprofilaxis; childbirth; experiences; women; men
