The first few weeks with a newborn had already stretched Mara to her limit. So when she realized her husband kept disappearing in the middle of the night, her imagination went straight to the worst possibilities. Then she checked the baby monitor and saw him enter the nursery at 2 a.m. carrying a paper bag—and hiding something she never expected.

Coming home after giving birth is difficult.

Everyone says so. They offer advice like, “The first few weeks are a blur,” and, “Sleep when the baby sleeps,” and, “It gets better.”