Giving your body, giving life to a child?

For Marcel Mauss, the question of the gift is central. Using a few clinical vignettes, the author examines pregnancy and childbearing in light of Mauss’s teachings. Giving life cannot be taken for granted. It implies a letting-go that may require some work. However, this may lead the individual to discover and receive all the creativity of the self. It also demands that one make room for the father and for oneself, to make room for the child.