SHARING SPACE: Obstetrics and Attachment

In the last 30 years there has been an increasing amount of psychological
investigation into attachment. At the same time there appears in this literature to be a gap in the discussion of
what may be the origins of early detachment of the child from his/her caretakers. This article suggests that the
beginning lies in obstetrical care in today’s highly interventional and technocratic management of pregnancy
and childbirth. Specifically, what drives this situation is the attempt of obstetricians and medical professionals to
avoid the highly litigious system. The result of the effort to reduce risk at all personal cost, creates a stressful
situation for the mother and decreases the emotional satisfaction of the family. In short, the power of birth has
moved to the professional and remains causal in dis-attachment of child to parent. KEY WORDS: Attachment,
obstetrics, prenatal, pregnancy.