Pregnancy and object relations: Clinical considerations

A prevention and promotion intervention program in the field of mother–infant relationship

“…In addition, the representation of the child is characterized by poor perceptions and feelings. The narrative coherence is low, with an ambivalent attitude toward change of the body and/or the growing child ͑Ammaniti et al , 2002;Cohen & Slade, 2000;George & Solomon, 1999;Solomon & George, 1996͒, either conflictual or overwhelmed ͑Condon & Corkindale, 1997Frank, Tuber, Slade, & Garrod, 1994;Lester & Notman, 1988͒. Nevertheless, in the postnatal period when the child is 3 months old, integrated representations are prevalent both in the control group and in the risk mothers. Indeed, in 50% of the two risk mother samples, the birth of the child assumes the value of a positive organizer of the maternal mental representations, facilitating the shift from not integrated/ambivalent and restricted representations during pregnancy to more integrated representations of the self as a mother and of the child.…”

Using the prospective approach as an adjunct to established models of group psychotherapy

“…For example, during the first trimester when the woman experiences significant physical changes, fantasies pertaining to adolescence are common. During the second trimester, the expectant mother tends to compare herself with her own mother, as the reality of the delivery approaches, while fantasies concerning the birth outcome and the status of the infant predominate during the third trimester (Lester & Notman, 1988). The reveries of the expectant mother may be used to predict the nature of the relationship that will transpire within the dyad after the birth.…”

A transgenerational conceptualization of psychosomatic distress during pregnancy: Implications for infant mental health

“…A variety of theoretical frameworks, such as object relations contributions (Lester & Notman, 1986; Pines, 1982) and empirical investigations (Bibring, Dwyer, Huntington, & Valenstein, 1961; Leifer, 1977; Rofk, Biittener, & Lewin, 1993), have been used to describe developmental changes during pregnancy. Although the notion of emotional crisis during pregnancy has been recognized for many years, empirical contributions (Leifer, 1977) suggest that the emotional crisis during pregnancy is possibly a precondition for maturation, but not necessarily a hallmark of it.…”

“…From a somatic perspective, pregnancy may be associated with a pleasant sense of heightened body awareness, such as feeling the fetus quickening in the second trimester, or sensing various features of fetal activity. While anticipating the experience of motherhood, a woman is stimulated to reevaluate various aspects of her relational history, in particular with her own mother (Ballou, 1978;Lester & Notman, 1986;Pines, 1982). In psychologically healthy women, this task involves a process of separation from the mother, resolution of feelings of guilt toward the mother, and reconciliation with the family of origin.…”