ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author presents the two examples from her work at the mother baby clinic where she think it was important for the baby to feel understood by her. The first is a twenty-two-month-old baby, Bella. She had been a happy baby whose mother and father, despite their struggles, had been able to think about her in her early life, and care for her well. Being resourceful she was able to respond in a very positive way to one brief intervention. The second case is of a baby, Minnie, whose difficulties in her relationship with her mother began at birth, when her mother became depressed. The infant may experience a range of feelings such as fear and anger or even a sense of being the cause of the parental distress. Minnie and her mother were referred by their local general practitioner to the mother baby clinic because of maternal depression, excessive crying, and feeding difficulties.
