[Natural childbirth and cesarean section: social representations of women who experienced them]

Aiming to understand the social representations of natural childbirth and caesarean section for women who experienced them, it was developed a descriptive, qualitative research. Interviews were conducted from July to October 2010, with twenty women who experienced both types of birth. The number of participants was determined by theoretical saturation during data collection and content analysis. The results showed, during the experience of motherhood: the search for information, the experience of childbirth alone versus support at birth; and that the woman has no option of choice on type of birth. Natural childbirth includes important issues such as: the ambivalence of feelings, positive perception and hospitalization. Cesarean section is associated with ambivalence of feelings, understood as a solution of a problem and the preference for cesarean section. The natural childbirth is a challenge for women, but the positive feelings outweigh the difficulties, while the cesarean section is associated to the physical benefits of its execution.