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This paper deals with the link between the mother’s mourning and relational withdrawal behavior in the infant. After reviewing mourning and withdrawal—which are both phylogenetically determined to shield the individual from the pain of loss—this paper describes, from a psychopathological point of view, factors that hamper the mourning process and prevent the end of the defensive withdrawal, leading to further pathology. The lack of elaboration of loss during perinatality interferes with the maternal preoccupation process and with parentality, which leads to the infant being withdrawn. The libidinal flow between mother and child dries up, and the infant, being in a way linked with the deceased via the mother, finds himself in a state of vital suspension. If the mother’s loss concerns her own father, splitting and denial processes will activate to block the feeling of unbearable guilt. The spouse, being taken into these defensive processes, is unable to reactivate the libidinal flow between mother and child. These psychodynamic movements are illustrated through clinical, myths, and artistic material. This paper also discusses the use of the ADBB withdrawal scale in therapeutic perinatal consultation, which may be a useful means of prevention.