Humanization of childbirth in Latin America: Laws and regulations of midwifery care.

Purpose Humanization of childbirth refers to the concept of care that values the physiological processes of the mother and child. This concept has been introduced into the laws of Latin American countries. The present study aimed to analyze the care for maternal and child considered as humanization of childbirth in the relevant laws and regulations of Latin American countries. Methods Recent laws and regulations related to humanization of childbirth were researched from the government and ministry websites of 20 countries in Latin America with Spanish and Portuguese as the native language. The guaranteed laws in the care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum and their newborns were extracted and compared with the itemized recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines about intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. Results Through online research, seven countries were found to mention laws and regulations about the care for women and newborns to promote humanization of childbirth. Specifically in Argentine law, 16 items in the care for women and newborns were guaranteed to promote humanization of childbirth. Additionally from other countries, 12 items in Chile, 18 items in Colombia, 16 items in Ecuador, 17 items in Nicaragua, 23 items in Panama, and 26 items in Peru were the respective number of guaranteed laws about the care for women and newborns. There were 22 items of care guaranteed by the laws from two or more countries from which 13 items overlapped with the itemized recommendations from the WHO guidelines. Although the care to achieve the humanization of childbirth differed from country to country, there was a common emphasis on respect for pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and newborns, as well as attitudes and postures as caregivers. However, there were fewer descriptions about clinical procedures and practices at each stage of labor. Conclusion The care in achieving the humanization of childbirth varies from country to country. The emphasis on the care and attitudes of health care providers in respecting women and newborns was common in the laws and regulations of the seven countries. As continuity is considered an important issue in humanization of childbirth, it is likely guaranteed that Latin American countries intend to ensure continuity of humanization of childbirth by enacting legislation. In prospect, Japan may have much to learn from this movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]