Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the practices of hospital care during pré parturition and normal delivery in a maternity hospital in Southern Brazil. A cross-sectional and quantitative study performed with 82 postpartum women. Results were evaluated for the total number of postpartum women and in two groups according to hospital delivery time (≤ 8 and > 8 hours). Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were used. with a significance level of 5%.

Percentages of useful practices were:

oral diet (23.2%), freedom of position and movement (90.2%), non-pharmacological methods to alleviate pain (64.6%), companion in prepartum (62.1%) and parturition (42.5%) and partogram (62.2%).

Harmful practices:

enema (3.7%), trichotomy (3.7%), lithotomy position (92.7%) and Kristeller maneuver (20.7%).

Practices used inappropriately:

amniotomy (4.9%), oxytocin (41.5%), analgesia (1.2%) and episiotomy (36.6%). The hospital labor time above 8 hours was associated with offering oral diet (p < 0.001), use of non-pharmacological methods for pain relief (p < 0.01), oxytocin infusion (p = 0.01) and episiotomy (p < 0.01). The delivery care with minimum intervention compatible with the recommendations is still a challenge.