Identification with a newborn baby can revive primitive traumas in the parent. Due to their un-symbolized form, the transmission of these silent traumatic zones of experience can have deadening effects. This paper examines how the birth of a child can reveal the existence of breaks in the historical narrative, as the baby reawakens split-off distress and mobilizes help to deal with unconscious pressures. A clinical vignette illustrates how the awakening of primitive trauma results not in the classical projection of fantasies, but in unconscious repetition within the therapist him- or herself of aspects of the primitive distress. The author calls upon the work of Benedetti and the theory of psychosis to explore these unusual transferential configurations. Whether the therapist has the capacity to tolerate such death-infused zones in the experience of the baby and his/her parent is key to advancing the process. Experiences with the baby can help pick up the chronological thread and build a narrative where unprocessed traces of experience awaiting meaning can find their place. The author extends her thinking to the current world situation, questioning the impact of unconscious transmissions on birth and death experiences during these pandemic times and appealing for thoughtful consideration of families’ difficulties during this historical sanitary crisis.