Rochette-Guglielmi, Joëlle <br/><br/>
The pandemic: A magnifier of risk factors in the immediate postpartum period— The need for cooperation faced with the neoteny of newborns 

 -  2025.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 74 
<br/><br/> Context and research question In 2020, the inherent structural vulnerabilities of the immediate postpartum period were compounded by the situational vulnerability brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with WHO recommendations, which recently reaffirmed the essential impact of care offered to mother–infant dyads during the first 42 days, we sought to describe the complex, multifactorial factors generating “dyadic pain,” and whose evolution over this short period can distinguish a simple adaptive crisis from a pathological course. This online retrospective survey focuses on young parents’ self-observation of the sensitive 0–2 month period experienced at the height of the pandemic (thus restricting the key protagonists of the “birth event” to the triad), by assessing the impact of dyadic pain on the quality of the mother–infant bond. Objectives and methods Recognizing the inadequacy of clinical observation alone or “isolated” tools to describe this discomfort, we focused on the vicarious effect of several scales applied simultaneously. We measured the trajectories of each family using: (I) the two-sided expression of “dyadic pain,” self-assessed by the mother using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and compared with the assessment of a third party—the partner—using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of dyadic pain; and (II) the quality of the mother–infant bond at 2 months, measured by a qualitative tool: the 40-Day Questionnaire (Q40j). Results A total of 617 triads (complete data) responded to the survey. Contrary to expectations, high scores on the EPDS and VAS scales—whether taken separately and combined—were not statistically significant. This prompted us to reconsider the interpretation of maternal dysphoria, suggesting that it is not always a negative indicator (p = 0.463 &gt; 0.05). However, the results highlight that discrepancies between maternal and partner assessments of dyadic pain were strongly associated with poorer quality mother–infant bonds (OR = 3.222 &gt; 1). Such discrepancies appear to be a major risk factor, underscoring the importance of couple cooperation and perceptual alignment during the early parenting stage. Our findings suggest that parents’ ability to adapt successfully to their newborn’s cues at two months is strongly influenced by how well parents navigate and share the challenges of early parenthood. Discord within the couple during the initial postpartum period should be considered a new marker of risk for both maternal and infant well-being.