Abstract
Objective: To investigate what are the reasons that determine the choice of route of delivery for women seen at the maternity of a hospital in the mountain range of Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: This is a qualitative case study developed at the Obstetric Unit of a general hospital. The participants were 22 postpartum women who underwent normal or caesarean section deliveries from July to August 2017, aged 18 years or older. Data analysis was performed according to categorizations. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: For the discussion, two thematic categories were proposed: "It could not be normal" and "Influences related to the mode of delivery: is it choice?”. Most postpartum women reported preference for vaginal delivery, but 90.9% of respondents underwent cesarean section. Determining factors in choosing the type of delivery were a previous experience, prenatal counseling, and desire for tubal ligation, fear, medical, family and friends influences. Conclusion: Most of the interviewees reported that the route of delivery that they were submitted was not which one they desired, or that they had no choice about it.