The birth: a violent act against the newborn?

Abstract

The institutionalization and technological interventions of birth have made it an event that belongs to the health team and not to the mother, family and the child, interfering on the attachment bounds of parents and baby. This paper discusses on a theoreticalreflexive perspective the fact that the event of birth has been an act of violence against the newborn. It analyses the current conceptions and practices of the institutionalized process of birth and also emphasizes that the newborn must be considered a human being with rights. To meet the needs and expectations of the newborn’s relatives should be the goal of health teams to humanize delivery and birth. Also, the fact of giving adequate attention to mother/baby and family relations will contribute to a better emotional life quality of future generations.