Anscombe, Elizabeth (2008) The dichotomy of containing trauma amidst joy. New life and neonatal death; the experience of working with the parents of twins. Infant Observation: The International Journal of Infant Observation and Its Applications, 11 (2). pp. 147-160. ISSN 1369-8036

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Abstract

This paper describes the work with a family of premature twins in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where one twin was born seriously ill and died within a few days. An overview of literature related to the birth of a sick premature baby, trauma and mourning with twins, and the impact of loss on the surviving twin, forms the first section. Informed by psychoanalytic theory, the author explores the painful work with the parents through detailed observation, noting particularly the difference between the father's capacity to stay in touch with the pain of loss and mother's denial and preoccupation with the healthy twin. Keywords: NICU; parents; twins; trauma; death; containment

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	NICU, Parents, Twins, Trauma, Death, Containment
Subjects:	Families > Childbirth
URI:	https://repository.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/id/eprint/345

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