Women’s groups in a maternity ward. Psychic work with high-risk pregnancy inpatient women

The authors describe the development of women’s groups in a maternity ward from a perspective that integrates both biological-organic and psychological-relational aspects. Assuming that hospitalization for obstetrical pathology may increase psychological risk factors - with negative consequences for the woman’s psychophysical well-being - we aimed at promoting the mentalization of the distressing and often unmentioned aspects of maternity by means of work with homogeneous groups. The article describes the developmental stages of teamwork involving the childhood neuropsychiatry and obstetrics units, the units’ midwives, and groups of inpatient women. This experience suggests that working with groups promotes protective factors through the construction of a mental space that offers the possibility to think about maternity from different perspectives, freeing the mother from a burden and fostering the development of psychic maternity and the relationship between the future mothers and their babies.

Keywords: Maternity, homogeneous group, high-risk pregnancy, liaison child neuropsychiatry, prevention, mother-infant relationship.

Ilaria Locati, Mary Bottarel, Maria Teresa Gervasi, Lenio Rizzo, Gruppi di donne in ostetricia. Il lavoro psichico con le donne ricoverate per gravidanza a rischio in "GRUPPI" 1/2010, pp 113-126, DOI: 10.3280/GRU2010-001010