ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the trajectory of the insertion of obstetric nurses in the care of planned home childbirth in Rio Grande do Sul. Method: An exploratory and qualitative study, with application of thematic oral history. Thirteen obstetric nurses who worked in planned home childbirth in the state participated in the study. Data was collected from December 2019 to March 2020 through interviews and analyzed based on a thematic content analysis. Results: Two categories emerged: 1) Personal, training and professional experiences that encouraged obstetric nurses to enter planned home childbirth; and 2) The search for autonomy, freedom, protagonism and respect in the care of delivery and birth as stimuli for the insertion of obstetric nurses in the planned home childbirth. Conclusion: Personal, training and professional experiences and dissatisfaction with hospital obstetric care in the state, considered interventionist and physician-centered, encouraged obstetric nurses to enter planned home childbirth.