Objective: To be aware of the care rituals developed by families when preparing for home birth during the gestational process.
Method: Qualitative and ethnographic research developed with families during the gestational process. We adopted the observation-participation-reflection model, and the analysis was performed according to ethnonursing.
Results: Care rituals are related to the choice of home as a place for childbirth, being characterized as a family's rite of separation to experience this process. Other care rituals involved the preparation of the family and the eldest child as well as the home, the body, and the mind of the pregnant woman, and the choice of destination of the placenta.
Final considerations: We must understand the birth process beyond the biological perspective, considering women and their family as a whole, within a cultural context with their beliefs and values.