ABSTRACT
The conception and birth of an infant brings about change in the couple relationship. Pregnancy and the postnatal period can be a time when the woman’s mental health is most put at risk. For some couples emotional development does not take place, and the difficulties of the first trimester continue throughout pregnancy, often leading to antenatal and/or postnatal depression in either member of the couple, or difficulty in bonding with the foetus or live baby. Primary maternal pre-occupation was the term D. W. Winnicott used to describe the state of mind that emotionally healthy mothers enter during the latter part of the third trimester of pregnancy and the earliest weeks of their infant’s life. When acrimony becomes the key issue in the couple relationship their communication is one of the first areas to be affected. Children with severe language difficulties will have both comprehension and expressive language problems.
