eiseEducation

“Transformation of the maternal–fetal relationship into the mother–infant relationship remains an enigmatic process.” (DiPietro et al., 2021)

Fascinating evidence emerging especially in the last decade now suggests how caregiver relationships with future offspring might begin during pregnancy. This antenatal/pregnancy period now counts as a third major period for early caregiving experience, supplementing the postnatal/pre-attachment, and the early period first attachments, typically beginning at 6 months. This webinar will look at contemporary research findings on mechanisms and interactions at work during the antenatal caregiving experience, the process that connects these first antenatal experiences with the postnatal and attachment periods and the clinical implications of these findings in therapy.  The webinar will also look at caregiving models including maternal bonding, caregiving behavioural system, including the nature of the caregiver representations—or working models—discovered in antenatal research including feelings and thoughts about the offspring, about the caregiving relationship and about self as a parent. A couple of case vignettes will be employed to capture these implications.