Supporting early parenthood of hospitalised women with severe pregnancy problems and their partners: rationale, principles and exploration of a psychotherapeutic programme

ABSTRACT This paper describes the rationale and treatment principles of an in-hospital psychotherapeutic programme for pregnant women with pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, and their partners. This psychotherapeutic programme focuses on making improvements in the experience of early parenthood, through improving reflective capacity under stress, emotional availability, bonding with the infant, and supporting the overall transition to parenthood. The medical and psychosocial consequences of pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which can result in the preterm birth of infants, are numerous, and can be detrimental to the early parent-infant relationship. Parents may experience anxiety, guilt, depression and post-traumatic stress, and it is important to address these problems preventatively, from pregnancy onwards. This programme is innovative in its offer of continued in-hospital support to pregnant women and their partners, at the obstetric as well as at the neonatology ward. In addition, a small and descriptive study of the programme is presented in this paper. We perceived that the participating parents were committed to attending the sessions, which addressed their major concerns regarding parenthood. No participants dropped out of the programme before discharge. Mentalization-based psychotherapeutic work was done during PLUS consultations, and parents showed a need to express, reflect upon and process the concerns they experienced during the frightening period of hospitalisation.