The relationship between the parents and the premature baby

Abstract

The arrival of a newborn baby confronts the parents with the loss of their own childhood and the process of mourning that this entails. In the case of a premature birth, where the often brutal experience of birth is followed by a forced separation of hospitalization, the situation is even more complicated, making it sometimes difficult for the mother to invest in the baby libidinally. The presence of a psychoanalyst working with the resuscitation team can facilitate the encounter with the parents, the baby, and the caretakers, and can, by “supposing a subject” in the baby, help to restore the bond between mother and child.

Key words:

• premature birth
• trauma
• neonatal resuscitation
• parental identification
• “supposing the subject”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catherine Vanier

Author

Dr. Catherine Vanier is a practicing analyst and a member and former president of the Espace Analytique Association in Paris, France. She also works as a psychoanalyst in the neonatal unit at the Hôpital Delafontaine in Saint Denis.