The Subjective Journey of Motherhood in Three Moments: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum

Abstract This article aims to analyze three fundamental phases of motherhood: pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Special emphasis is placed on the work that the maternal psychic apparatus must undertake in managing the demands arising from the reunion with archaic contents from their past during pregnancy, in the process of childbirth, and in the exercise of mothering when engaging with the baby. Our goal is to foster a thoughtful theoretical discussion, drawing from psychoanalysis, about the subjective journey of motherhood, with its intricate complexities, connections, and disconnections. This exploration considers that the skills required for baby care involve: ability of reverie, transmission of psychological aspects across generations, and the history of interpersonal exchanges between the mother and her own caregivers.