Like a Melody It Passes: Dasein and Perinatal Well-being

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, the text found in Johannes Brahms’ Wie Melodien Zieht Es (Like a Melody It Passes) serves as a metaphor for selected key ideas that comprise Heidegger’s Being and Time. Heidegger’s conceptualization of Dasein (including Being and Temporality) are examined in the context of the poetry and applied to understandings of maternal emotional well-being. There is potential for increased insight based on analysis of these selected key concepts, which are described and related to the experience of becoming a mother. There is also significance in examining birthing because of current realities involved in Maternity Care, which include standardized approaches to care. The poetry of Wie Melodien Zieht Es guides the flow of ideas that are outlined during the paper. The need for enhanced authentic interactions between nurses and women in the peri-natal period is exposed, engaging Heideggerian thought as a framework for possible enlightenment.       Â