Clara no longer required the same level of postnatal care once she recovered, but reliable support and follow-up did not disappear just because she looked healthier.

The early plan was reviewed.

Some visits ended as they became unnecessary.

Other practical connections remained.

The people involved did not require her to remain visibly unwell to accept that the family benefited from help.

Clara learned which arrangements she could maintain herself and which needed another adult.

She also learned that making a telephone call before a problem became an emergency was not an admission she could not parent her children.

There were nights when both babies woke.