Blurred body boundaries of first-time mothers: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

The assumption that, during early motherhood, there is an intense physical and psychological connection between mother and infant and a sense that the infant belongs to the maternal body ego has long been a matter of theoretical discussion in the psychoanalytic literature, yet empirical evidence has been scarce. This exploratory study investigated first-time mothers’ experiences of bodily connectedness with their babies and perception of their body boundaries. To gain an in-depth understanding of mothers’ experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five first-time mothers, whose babies were between 18 and 29 weeks old, and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings highlighted the importance of skin-to-skin contact in bonding with the baby; a blurring of body boundaries – especially when the baby is in distress; and emotional challenges of adapting to numerous changes involving the maternal body. This study was conducted just before and during the first lockdown in the UK in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, offering a unique opportunity to consider the pandemic and associated restrictions as a contextual factor.