Self-attention in pregnancy for women living in rural area: A ethnographic study

Abstract

The study aims to recognizing self-attention practices related to pregnancy by women from rural area, as well as identifying these practices according to the different models of attention to health/birth. We carried out ethnography in three rural communities in a small city in the North Region of Rio Grande do Sul State. Seventeen informants participated in the study. Data were collected by the Observation-Participation-Reflection model and ethnographic interviews. For the analysis, the model chosen was Madeleine Leninger’s. Results show that, for these women, being pregnant means a question of health; however, they develop practices of self-care that are created in the tension between popular knowledge and Biomedicine recommendations for health promotion. Thus, pregnant women avoid carrying weight, reduce physical activities and change some eating habits. At the same time, they have prenatal care, highlighting the importance of technological apparatus and the status of the authoritative knowledge of Biomedicine.