Parenting: From Maternal Myth to Possible Love

Abstact This text brings some reflections on parenthood and perinatality as independent dimensions. The birth of a child does not necessarily imply the birth of a mother. From this, it is discussed that entry into the parental position depends on an act of naming, which is irreversible. For the discussion, we use a clinical case attended by the Perinatal Listening Project, at the Center for Assistance and Psychological Studies at the University of Brasília. The case refers to a 23-year-old postpartum woman, who complains of difficulty in feeling affection for her newborn daughter “I don’t feel love for her”. A great idealization of motherhood was noticed, as well as barriers to assume the parental position.