Motherhood constellation and representational change in pregnancy

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and development of the motherhood constellation in pregnant women. The participants of the study were 162 pregnant women who were divided into three subgroups according to their gestation period (<6 months, 6-7 months, >7 months). The women were assessed using the Breakfast Interview, a microanalytic method devised by D.N. Stern (1995, 2004a). Two judges coded the transcripts of the interviews for the presence of the motherhood constellation themes using three-level rating scales. Results showed that the Life/Growth theme was the most frequent theme during pregnancy, and supported the hypothesis of a "peak" of the motherhood constellation themes around Month 6 to Month 7.

Maternal representations in the dreams of pregnant women: a prospective comparative study

“…These results concord with MMR studies showing that 3rd trimester women have specific and rich images about the unborn baby (Ammaniti et al, 1992) and that the quality of these representations declines up to childbirth (Stern, 1995; Innamorati et al, 2010). As Stern (1991, 1995) has suggested, this decline might reflect a need for the woman to “undo” her representations to prevent disappointment when faced with the “real child” after birth.…”

“…Third trimester pregnant women have distinct, differentiated and emotionally invested MMR (Ammaniti et al, 1992), with a substantial presence of fearful imagery and worries about the child and the self as a mother (Vizziello et al, 1993; Leckman et al, 2004). These MMR display peak levels of richness and specificity by the 7th month of pregnancy with a subsequent decline up to childbirth (Stern, 1995; Innamorati et al, 2010). Stern (1995) interpreted this late decline as a need for the woman to “undo” her representations of the imagined child in order to prevent disappointment when finally face-to-face with the actual child.…”

“…To illustrate, masochistic dreams characterize depression-prone subjects and co-vary with the severity of depressed mood (Agargun, 2010); thus, as pregnancy is a period of increased risk for depressive disorders (Marcus, 2009), the finding of more negative dream elements during pregnancy needs to be replicated with appropriate controls for depressive mood. Finally, no available studies have examined whether dreamed MMR change in the last months of pregnancy as waking MMR do between 7 months and birth (Stern, 1995; Innamorati et al, 2010). Therefore, in addition to more prospective and carefully controlled studies, descriptive research is needed to clarify how dream content expresses MMR and how such content varies temporally toward the end of a first pregnancy.…”

What is my Baby Like? Representations Concerning the Baby in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

“…Pregnancy is a complex period in which physiological, psychological and social changes occur simultaneously (Dunkel-Schetter, 2011;Guedeney & Tereno, 2010). It is a unique and emotionally intense experience that reflects the entire woman's life up to that moment (Innamorati, Sarracino, & Dazzi, 2010;Raphael-Leff, 2010;St-André & Martin, 2010). This reality implies a restructuring process of all the representations that women have (Innamorati et al, 2010;Raphael-Leff, 2010;St-André & Martin, 2010).…”

“…It is a unique and emotionally intense experience that reflects the entire woman's life up to that moment (Innamorati, Sarracino, & Dazzi, 2010;Raphael-Leff, 2010;St-André & Martin, 2010). This reality implies a restructuring process of all the representations that women have (Innamorati et al, 2010;Raphael-Leff, 2010;St-André & Martin, 2010). The woman changes the way she perceives herself, the others, the world, and also the type of interpersonal interactions she establishes and her role in society, in order to make room for new representations (George & Solomon, 1996;Pancer, Pratt, Hunsberger, & Gallant, 2000;Stern, 1995).…”