ABSTRACT
The time before and after the birth of a baby is heavily loaded with emotions. Especially with the first child, as a relationship of two persons becomes a threesome. Great adaptations are required of both partners. Being a mother transcends the generations, as styles of mothering are transmitted from mother to daughter. The puerperium, meaning the period around being pregnant and giving birth, implies risks as well as chances to find a new equilibrium. A review of the literature reveals how little has been published about the psychological treatment of postpartum depression. This chapter offers a way of looking at the phenomenon from a theoretical and practical point of view. It presents two theoretical concepts and their interaction, the first being the 'symbiotic illusion' used as a defence mechanism; the second being multigenerational involvement in pathology such as postnatal depression.
