In the social imaginary, there is a widespread fantasy in which woman is taken of noble feelings when giving birth to a child. However, clinical experience teaches that motherhood can be a time of intense malaise, expressed in the form of conflicts, symptoms and distress. This paper tries to show, through theoretical reflections and presenting clinical vignettes, that the pregnancy-puerperal cycle is a process in which women are exposed to traumatic experiences that are capable of disorganizing them psychically.
Key words:
Pregnancy-puerperal cycle; trauma; female Oedipus; becoming amother