OPbjective: We aimed to determine if and to what extent a woman’s exposure to stressful life events were associated with impaired maternal bonding by using a sample of high-income Italian women. Meethods: In the second day postpartum, 425 healthy puerperae responded to Life Experiences Survey (LES), Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MBS), and to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Results: Analysis revealed that the stressful life events scored by LES were a significantly predictor of impaired bonding as measured by MIBS (β=0.04; t=3.45; p<.001) and of postpartum depression symptoms as measured by EPDS total score (β=0.32; t=4.86; p<.001) as well as its subscales Anhedonia (β=0.059; t=4.99; p<.001), Anxiety (β=0.03; t=5.72; p<.001), and Depression (β=0.05; t=6.53; p<.001). Moreover, the partial correlation between EPDS total score and MIBS accounting for LES positive and negative scores was statistically significant (r=0.208; n=332; p<.001). Conclusion:The findings emphasize the importance of identifying mothers with negative experiences toward pregnancy and delivery to address possible interventions beyond hospital-based antenatal care to improve bonding and maternal mental outcomes.