The support of the companion choosen by the pregnant mother in a maternity school

Objective: To understand the inclusion of the companion support in the obstetric ward and to identify the actions developed to support the pregnant mother during labor, delivery and immediate postpartum. Method: An exploratorydescriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data was collected from September to November 2011, through unstructured participant observation with 17 companions, which remained in the obstetric center of a maternity school. Data analysis followed the procedures of apprehension, synthesis, theorization and transfer. Results: Five categories emerged: Aspects related to the inclusion of the companion in the obstetric ward; actions of support of the partner during labor; the role of the partner at delivery; first contact of the partner with of the newborn; and the accompanying interaction with the binomial in the immediate postpartum period. Conclusion: The companion develops actions of support in all clinical delivery periods; however, it has greater autonomy and feels more confident in the pre-partum.