PRENATAL CARE PRACTICES FOR PROMOTING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH AND PREVENTING CONDITIONS

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal and child health in Brazil has received constant attention, with the implementation of policies such as the Rede Cegonha (Stork Network), which aims to improve access to and quality of prenatal, childbirth, postpartum, and other care for women and children. Prenatal care is essential for the early detection of health risks for pregnant women and babies and is a right guaranteed by the Unified Health System (SUS). Objective: To identify prenatal care practices for promoting maternal and child health and preventing complications. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review, developed based on the question: What prenatal care practices promote maternal and child health and prevent complications? Data collection was performed in two ways: in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and through searches in specific scientific sources, such as the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), the Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE). The Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) used were: "nursing care; maternal and child health; prenatal care." Data collection took place between August and September 2025. Inclusion criteria included full-text articles, available in Portuguese and English, published between 2020 and 2025. Duplicate studies, experience reports, reviews, event abstracts, and other materials that did not align with the guiding question and research theme were excluded. Descriptors were combined using the Boolean operator AND. Data collection involved a complete reading of the articles that met the inclusion criteria. After this reading, the extracted data were organized into tables for easy visualization and discussed according to the literature. Results and discussion: Nursing-centered prenatal care practices involve comprehensive care, educational activities, emotional support, and early risk detection, ensuring greater safety for mother and baby. Regular appointments, a bond of trust, and multidisciplinary work strengthen adherence to care and prevent complications. Supported by public policies and technologies, these practices promote maternal and child health, although they still face structural and social challenges. CONCLUSION: Prenatal nursing is essential to promote maternal and child health and prevent complications, combining clinical, educational, emotional, and multidisciplinary care with a focus on comprehensiveness, humanization, and equity.