Resumo

IUNGANO, Elisa Motta  e  TOSTA, Rosa Maria. Fulfilment of the maternal function in cases of child illness. Bol. - Acad. Paul. Psicol. [online]. 2009, vol.29, n.1, pp.100-119. ISSN 1415-711X.

According to D. W. Winnicott's theory, the healthy mother is in general sufficiently good for her baby. Primary maternal preoccupation guarantees the identification with the infant, so she can understand and attend its needs. The social environment can help by providing to the mother a safe ambient and not disturbing her role. The need for infant hospitalization leads to a situation of vulnerability and constant care, witch has to be technical and scientific, not intuitive like maternal care. With ill babies the kinds of care are inverted. The maternal function can not be done like in a context considered natural. The mother loses her part of principal authority for her child, being converted into an “auxiliary caregiver”. The present study, with these propositions in mind, refers to an intervention of five mothers and their babies, guests of a support house for very ill children.The methodology used included therapeutic sessions and observation of the relation between mother and infant, based on a Winnicottian focus. The results showed the importance of an individual attendance to each mother-baby in such a non-typical situation. The links between them, when understood with these peculiarities, open new perspectives to initiate an appropriate maternity process. Researches are imperative to allow a continuous study in this recently open field.

Palavras-chave : Maternal function; Ill baby; Winnicott.

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