A gestação e os primeiros tempos da vida de um bebê são fundamentais para o estabelecimento do vínculo com seus pais; além de garantir sua sobrevivência, fornecem matéria-prima para as tramas de seu psiquismo, formando um solo no qual se desenvolverão suas relações ao longo da vida. Concomitante a essa construção, transcorre um processo análogo com os pais, que se vão construindo gradativamente nessa condição ao se relacionar com o filho. No entanto, esses primeiros tempos podem ter um forte impacto em quem gera e cuida do bebê. Assim, a finalidade deste estudo é iluminar as vivências psíquicas da mulher no pós- -parto e verificar que recursos desenvolve para lidar com o trabalho psíquico necessário para enfrentar os lutos e construir e exercitar a parentalidade. Por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa balizada teoricamente pela psicanálise, estudaram-se cinco duplas mãe-bebê. Houve ao menos quatro encontros como cada dupla: pelo menos um na gestação e três após o parto (uma semana, um mês e dois meses). Os encontros gestacionais se deram num lugar escolhido pela participante e os no puerpério, em sua casa. Com o instrumental da psicanálise, fizeram-se entrevistas semidirigidas e observação da relação que a mãe estabelecia com o bebê e com a pesquisadora. Analisou-se cada caso em separado e se verificaram possíveis confluências entre eles. Tendo em conta a especificidade do funcionamento psíquico materno e o impacto das exigências de um filho para quem deve ajudá-lo a viver, a pesquisa revelou a importância de considerar a amplitude dos fenômenos de gestar e cuidar. Esse papel, que toda mãe deve exercer, foi vivido, ao menos num primeiro momento, como brutal e desorganizador não só pela mulher, mas por toda a família. As dificuldades de se metabolizarem essas vivências e as perdas inerentes ao processo por exemplo, o bebê ideal, a maternidade idealizada, o narcisismo, o ritmo anterior e a rotina, entre outras podem prejudicar a construção e o exercício da parentalidade e mesmo obstar a superação do baby blues, eventualmente desencadeando fenômenos depressivos (manifestos ou encobertos). Os ganhos reais decorrentes da chegada do bebê podem ser vividos a partir desse contato com as perdas e de sua elaboração. Concluiu-se também que se devem construir mecanismos de prevenção e cuidados para a família nesses primeiros tempos de vida do bebê, com a colaboração entre as várias disciplinas envolvidas e com políticas de saúde pública. Entre as questões levantadas a esse propósito, alerta-se para o risco de se negligenciarem ou, no outro extremo, patologizarem as dores inerentes à delicada construção da parentalidade / Gestation and the first times in a babys life are fundamental to the establishment of bonds with the parents; apart from guaranteeing their survival, it provides the basis for the webs of their psychism, forming the ground on which their relationships will develop throughout their life. Concomitant to this construction, the parents go through an analogue process, gradually building themselves in this condition as they relate to the child. However, these first times may have a strong impact on who generates and cares for the baby. Thus, the aim of this study is to enlighten the womans post-partum psychic experiences and to verify the resources developed to cope with the psychic work necessary to face the grieves and to build and exercise parenthood. Through a qualitative research theoretically bound by psychoanalysis, five mother-baby pairs were studied. There were a minimum of four encounters with each pair: at least one on gestation e three post-partum (one-week, one-month and two-month old). The gestational meetings took place at a location chose by the participant and the puerperium encounters, at her home. With psychoanalysis instrumental, semi-guided interviews and observation of the relationship established by the mother with the baby and with the researcher took place. Each case was separately analyzed and possible confluences between them were verified. Taking into account the specificity of the psychic maternal functioning and the impact of the demands of a child on who must help them live, the research revealed the importance of considering the amplitude of the carrying and caring phenomena. This role, that all mothers must play, was experienced, at least at first, as brutal and disorganizing not only by the woman, but by the whole family. The difficulties of metabolizing these experiences and the losses inherent to the process for instance, the ideal baby, idealized motherhood, narcissism, the previous rhythm and the routine, among others may damage the construction and the exercise of parenthood and even thwart the overcoming of the baby blues, eventually unfolding depressive phenomena (manifest or covered). The real gains resulting from the babys arrival may be lived from this contact with the losses and its elaboration. It was also concluded that prevention and care mechanisms for the family must be built in these first times of the baby\'s life, with collaboration between the various disciplines involved and with public health policies. Amongst the issues raised to this purpose, an alert is made to the risk of neglecting or, on the other end, pathologizing the pains inherent to the delicate construction of parenthood

This study represents an attempt to describe the extent and features of safe haven legislation in the United States, discuss implementation issues, and to examine if the legislation is reaching its intended target audience in order to answer the question, "Is safe haven legislation an efficacious response to infant abandonment?" Safe havens are designated locations where infants can be anonymously abandoned without fear of prosecution or incarceration. As of May of 2006, forty-seven states have passed such legislation, citing the need for an alternative to unsafe infant abandonment leading to an infant's death, and an alternative to infanticide (the killing of an infant within one year of its birth). Since the initial passage of this legislation in Texas in 1999, there have been more unsafe infant abandonments than accounts of safe haven abandonments. As this legislation provides for anonymous infant abandonment researchers cannot study the population of women actually utilizing safe havens. Therefore, the study of women seeking connection with safe havens in comparison to the population of women who have engaged in infant abandonment resulting in an infant's death is considered one of the sole viable sources of insight into this problem. The scope of the research is exploratory in nature and analyses are considered preliminary due to the lack of data that exists in this area and the relative newness of the legislation.A quantitative analysis of women likely to utilize safe havens reveals that they have a mean age of 19, are unmarried, have entered into prenatal care late, have disclosed their pregnancy to someone, and are currently dating the birthfather. The findings from this analysis were compared to those from a national linked birth and infant death dataset to ascertain if women seeking safe havens have similar biopsychosocial characteristics as those engaging in unsafe abandonment leading to an infant's death. Similar biopsychosocial characteristics were found including mother's age, marital status, late entry into prenatal care, disclosure of pregnancy, and dating status. A regression analysis was used to construct a biopsychosocial profile of women likely to abandon an infant. Findings suggest that legislators and those involved with safe havens have some knowledge of their target population, but are not effectively reaching this audience, nor promoting the existence of safe havens. They also appear to be utilizing research findings on infanticide inappropriately, in order to profile their target audience. This effectively limits the promulgation of education and early identification services that could prevent both safe haven and unsafe infant abandonments. This study concludes with policy reform recommendations.