Objective: identify the knowledge and perception of puerperal mothers after completion of routine episiotomy. Method: this is a descriptive and qualitative study conducted with 13 puerperal mothers in a public hospital in Fortaleza/CE in the month of November 2011, using a previously elaborated interview script. Data were analyzed according to thematic analysis, giving rise to the following category: “Knowledge and perception of puerperal women regarding the episiotomy”. Result: most women were young, at reproductive phase, outside the formal labor market and ended up going through obstetric interventions without questioning their realization, and only half of the women in the study claimed to have received information about the procedure. The information provided by healthcare professionals on episiotomy conferred greater confidence to mothers. However, only few patients received knowledge in this way. Conclusion: knowledge about episiotomy is important for women, enabling them to express their freedom of opinion to comply or reject its realization.
