The day before my son’s first birthday, me and my husband had a huge fight. Proven fact: even if you have lived in perfect peace before having kids, you will find many, many reasons to fight after… and this was one of those times.

Long story short, my son was being difficult, and my husband, exasperated by prolonged whining and resistance, lost his temper with the child, who immediately escalated into full-blown hysterics. I was working in our home office; terrified by the screams, I ran upstairs to check what was happening and was appalled when I saw the scene…

And no, I didn’t get it (yet). If I did, the title might have been different.

You know what else no one tells you about having a baby? How lonely you’ll feel.

Yet you’re never alone, one can think. You have a baby! A whole new person!

Yes, a baby. A creature who’s eating, crying, pooping, wetting his diapers and (if you’re lucky) sleeping. What it can’t do though is keep you company. Like, provide a stimulating conversation.

Or even any conversation at all.

Let’s face it: the days of a new mother (or any primary caregiver) are filled with…

A month after giving birth, I was lying in my bed, consumed by an all-powerful emotion.

Fear.

“Please don’t leave me alone”, I said to my husband for the hundredth time. “Please. Take another month. Stay with me longer. I can’t do it on my own. I can’t. I won’t.”

“Come on”, he said. “We agreed long ago. Everything is already documented, papers drawn, forms filled, bureaucracy done. I can’t possibly redo all this at the last moment. You will be fine.”

I have never felt so far from fine in my life.

I live in a liberal country. A…