Brazil needs to improve maternal and perinatal health care, given the high rates of morbidity, mortality and cesarean sections, the medicalization process of the female body and the violation of the sexual and reproductive rights of women during pregnancy and childbirth. Based on the contribution of international researchers and agencies to address these issues, the scope of this text is to provide theoretical input to support the proposal of the promotion of safe motherhood that requires the active participation of midwives and nurse-midwives. These are professionals who, from the perspective of health promotion, can collaborate in the establishment of an effective network of care, whose basic premise is the humanization of care based on scientific evidence in order to improve the experience of women and the family in the process of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.