Absence of family support and associated factors in the urban births of a city in Southern Brazil: fact or fiction?

OBJECTIVE: To verify the prevalence and identify the factors associated with the absence of birth companions among women in Southern Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 466 parturient women in a cohort of women from the urban area of the city of Pelotas, RS. At 18 months postpartum, a structured questionnaire was applied with sociodemographic, gestational data and questions related to childbirth. Logistic regression was performed to adjust for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of the absence of a birth companion among women was 22.3%. Parturient women with up to 8 schooling years (PR=2.0 [95%CI 1.1–3.8]), who did not live with a partner (PR=2.3 [95%CI 1.2–4.3]), who performed their prenatal care in the public sector (PR=1.9 [95%CI 1.0–3.7]) and who had a cesarean delivery (PR=6.0 [95%CI 2.9–12.4]) were more likely to not have had a birth companion. CONCLUSION: The results shows relevant evidence for the verification of the presence of a companion in Southern Brazil, indicating the need for better use and adherence to this practice. In addition, the law that approves the presence of the birth companion in Brazil does not seem to be being fully implemented, disrespecting a right of parturient women and impacting the benefits for for maternal and child health.