The psychology Perinatal Covers, from the point of view of psychology, the changes that will occur in men and women who expect a baby. Motherhood and paternity are very important periods, considering evolutionary psychology as"periods especially sensitive or vulnerable"in the development of the person.
They are periods that are unstable, demanding and that generate stress in the person, so that all the resources that the person has are really important and will depend on the success of the transition.
What is Perinatal Psychology?
Perinatal psychology is a specific branch within psychology, which is responsible for studying and treating a specific moment in the life cycle.
It deals with everything that has to do with conception and gestation, with the birth of a baby, with the postpartum and with the puerperium , Attending and supporting everything that may happen around these events.
Throughout the life cycle, the person has to face different situations, many of them need the necessary adaptation to be able to face and evolve.
It is what In evolutionary psychology Is called"transition", and motherhood / paternity is one of them. It is a time or period where the person must adapt and readjust their life.
During this stage, from Perinatal Psychology we try to strengthen the mental health of the new family that is forged from the moment they decide to become parents.
It is broadly divided into three distinct areas: psychology before having a child, during pregnancy, and after the birth of the baby.
It serves not only the baby, his well-being and development from the moment he is conceived, but also his parents throughout this process.
The task of becoming a father is difficult and in it, from conception to the first months of raising a baby, a series of changes take place for which the mother and the father may need psychological support. This is the task of Perinatal Psychology.
In addition, it should be noted that motherhood always ends up looking like an"idyllic"stage. This is how you sell yourself socially, from the media... being a mother is the best thing that can happen in life and since your child is born, everything is wonderful.
In this process and for many mothers or fathers, the process of maternity and paternity can be very difficult and can suffer from feeling misunderstood or rare.
There are aspects of motherhood and parenthood that seem"taboo"because they are not named or expressed. There is nothing unusual in the feelings that arise during this stage, and many times a psychologist who has knowledge about these stages of the life cycle can offer psychological support to future (or recent) parents.
The goal of Perinatal Psychology is prevention and intervention, as well as the promotion of mental health of both mother and baby and in general, the whole family.
Especially relevant is the bond established between the mother and her baby, also recognizing the work and function of the father within the mother-baby dyad.
Perinatal psychology acts not only at the individual level but also at the group level. For example, a psychotherapist may work in consultation with a mother who has a specific problem or may direct psychotherapeutic groups of mothers.
Workshops or monographs that cover these stages of life can also be carried out or other professionals, such as nurses working with this vital stage, can be trained.
The Importance of Perinatal Psychology
The birth of a child is a really important moment in the life of a father and a mother as an adult.
When a couple goes from being two to the arrival of a baby, it is a vital event very important in adult life that requires the new parents a series of changes and adaptations in different areas of life.
Perinatal Psychology does not care only for the mother, even if it is the one who geste and give birth to the baby. Especially relevant is the bond or dyad established between the mother and the baby; However, the figure of the other parent is especially relevant throughout this process.
As we have already said, the transition to maternity / paternity, which begins at conception and ends during the first months of the baby's life, a period that includes Perinatal Psychology, has repercussions in different planes of the person's life.
The father or mother must readjust to different levels that will affect the functioning of his person and that of his family. With the arrival of a child to the family, a new identity emerges in the adult with a very important new role.
From the evolutionary psychology develops one of the psychological needs for some authors as it is the"generativity".
In addition, parents have substantially less free time and their living habits are modified to accommodate those of the baby, which may even be experienced by parents with reluctance and sadness.
What areas or aspects does Perinatal Psychology address?
Perinatal Psychology deals with everything that has to do with the moment of conception and all the difficulties that can occur here, gestation, birth, delivery and puerperium, offering support and psychological support.
For example, it addresses all the difficulties that may arise at the moment of conception.
Many couples have Fertility problems And can not achieve a pregnancy naturally, attending assisted reproduction and need psychological support during this stage.
Thus, one of the areas that is addressed is the conception, for those couples who have difficulties in engendering and who will not be able to conceive a child naturally, or for those families that experience great anxiety in the process of conception.
Many times achieving a pregnancy is costly even if the couple does not have difficulty conceiving naturally, and having psychological support during this stage may be key to deal with it more calmly.
Pregnancy is also a particularly relevant moment and many expectant mothers experience fear (fear of not doing well, fear of not being good mothers, fear of childbirth, fear that the baby is not well, etc.).
The perinatal psychologist can help during pregnancy to deal with it in a healthier way, reduce fear and be aware of the next maternity.
It also addresses various difficulties that may arise during pregnancy: for example, accompanying a gestational loss or a perinatal loss, where many parents feel misunderstood.
There are times when parents have trouble accepting some condition or illness of their future child, and psychological counseling at this stage can also be key to good coping.
The perinatal psychologist can also accompany psychologically everything that has to do with childbirth (whether natural or cesarean), obstetric violence, etc.
It also helps, for example, in the Postpartum depression Or in the problems that may arise in the new adaptation of the family, in the rehabilitation of the couple to a new family member, etc.
The moments after the arrival of the baby can be really difficult, so the psychological accompaniment at this stage and throughout the first months / years of the baby in everything that has to do with parenting can also be very useful for parents and the baby.
Of course, Perinatal Psychology also studies the bond of attachment that is established between the primary figures and the baby, assessing not only the quality of the attachment, but also offering strategies to establish a secure attachment between the primary caregiver and the baby.
In addition, Perinatal Psychology also studies and intervenes on some psychological disorders that may appear throughout this stage. Postpartum depression, as we have already mentioned, is one of them.
Also appears in some women the Posttraumatic stress disorder After delivery, some of them due to obstetric violence.
Origin of Perinatal Psychology
Perinatal Psychology is born as a new field within the psychological science that is in charge of addressing everything that surrounds the birth of a new human being.
It was born from the recognition of factors of a psychological and social nature, leaving only biological processes to focus on everything that has to do with disease and maternal and child health.
It goes from treating the parturient like a"sick"who needs assistance to the delivery to attend it like an event that happens in the bosom of a family with diverse needs.
From the Perinatal Psychology we work from a more global approach, including the new family that is going to be formed and attends to everything that surrounds the psychological health of the mother, the baby and in general of all the members of the new Family that is forged.
According to Oiberman (2005), motherhood is a stage of evolutionary transition that women will overcome according to their own history, the psychosocial situation in which they find themselves, their personality and the location of the baby within the family historical framework.
There is also the"Perinatal Psychological Interview"(Oiberman et al, 2008), which facilitates the work of perinatal psychologists for an early perinatal psychological diagnosis.
This interview takes into account the family group, the couple, the attitude towards pregnancy, psychological and physical problems, etc.
Perinatal psychology makes it possible to improve the quality of life of families from before they reach the world.
Characteristics of Perinatal Psychology
Maternity / paternity is conditioned, to a certain extent, by the quality and stability of the couple before the conception of the new child.
Aspects such as communication, respect, support that the mother of her partner perceives, the couple's previous cohabitation time... can be key elements to adequately face the transition to motherhood.
Perinatal Psychology is an area of psychology that is particularly vulnerable to the moment that the mother and father are found: this is an important transition of the adult life cycle, probably the most important regulatory transition.
We are talking about a transition that affects a whole family and in all aspects of their lives: in the family, in the couple, there are physical and emotional changes, change of roles, alteration in daily habits, in work activity , In the own identity, with the extended family...
That is why it is especially important to take into account the relevance of this stage and be aware of all the physical and emotional changes that occur to, if necessary, ask for specialized professional help in this vital moment.
The need for support and intervention of new parents in the face of the challenge of motherhood / paternity
It should be noted that although throughout the article I have been talking about the importance of everything related to motherhood / paternity in the development of the adult, as well as the many changes that happen and that may be required Aid, the vast majority of the population is facing this important transition favorably.
There is great variability among all mothers and fathers and although many of them do not feel they need support at this time, many other families will find difficulties or prefer to feel supported and advised in this new vital stage.
Generally, the transition to motherhood / paternity is solved positively, in spite of the changes and the adjustments that the parents have to make. However, when this does not happen, there may be complications and side effects, such as a breakup of partners.
For all this, Perinatal Psychology is framed as a recent area within psychology to address all the needs that arise in these areas of the life cycle and where the psychologist is a professional trained to cope with the psychological needs that arise in this stage.
References
- Spanish Association of Perinatal Psychology.
- Official College of Psychologists of the Region of Murcia. Psychology before, during and after pregnancy.
- Hidalgo, M. V., Ménendez, S. (2009). Support for families during the process of transition to maternity and paternity. Sevilla University.
- Izzedin-Bouquet, R. (2011). The role of the psychologist in the Neonatology Service. Perinatology and Human Reproduction, 25 (3), 188-190.
- Jort, S. What is Perinatal Psychology?
- Kerikian, C. (2011). Effects of a practice: Perinatal psychology in the hospital foundation. Research Conference Seventh Meeting of Researchers in Psychology of MERCOSUR. Faculty of Psychology, University of Buenos Aires.
- Martín Maldonado-Durán, J. (2011). Perinatal mental health. Pan American Health Organization.
- Nieri, L. (2012). Palliative intervention from the Perinatal Psychology. Rev. Hosp. Mat. Inf. Ramón Sardá, 31 (1).
- Oiberman, A. The word in maternities: an approach to perinatal psychology.
- Oiberman, A., Galíndez, E. (2005). Perinatal psychology: applications of a perinatal interview model in the immediate postpartum period. Rev. Hosp. Mat. Inf. Ramón Sardá, 24 (3).
- Planell Camacho, P. (2014). What is Perinatal Psychology? PSYC News, Association of Students of Psychology of the Interamerican University.
- Santos, M. S. and Oiberman, A. (2011). Psychological approach to motherhood in critical birth situations. Research Conference Seventh Meeting of Researchers in Psychology of MERCOSUR. Faculty of Psychology, University of Buenos Aires.
- Vicente de, A., Castilla, C., Villamarín, S. and Berdullas, S. Protecting Maternal Mental Health. INFOCOP.