Primary maternal preoccupation (PMP) is a concept winnicottiano and refers to psychological state of the mother, when her sensitivity in relation to her baby becomes exacerbated. This state starts early in pregnancy, extending through the first weeks after birth. The aim of this study is to investigate indicators of PMP in the pregnancy of mothers who had preterm birth babies. Four mothers participated in the study. All mothers had clinical problems in pregnancies. Their ages were between 22 and 28 years old and all of them were married. The babies did not present serious clinical complications. A collective case-study design was used, based on some categories. Content analysis indicated similarities between the cases, showing that the possibility of preterm birth brought more distress to the mothers whom were in process of establishing primary maternal preoccupation. However, observed that with the assimilation of their health condition and pregnancy, participants were able to develop good indicators of this maternal state.
primary maternal preoccupation; gestation; premature birth
