[Factors in training and participation in childbirth care by non-physicians]

This study aimed to characterize midwives according to current concepts among health professionals and to identify the ideological premises underlying proposals for their training. Data from interviews with nine midwives, nurses, and physicians were interpreted using discourse analysis. The resulting empirical categories were "The Situation of Maternity Care in Brazil", "The Ideal (or Necessary) Midwife and the Possible Midwife". When these empirical categories were interpreted, it was possible to "construct" an "emerging midwife" by dialectically overcoming the concept of "the ideal midwife".