When there is so much conflicting baby-care advice, mothers are left with no obvious path, no clear footing. We have to take a step into the unknown, into that empty space. Will it damage the baby psychologically if she cries for a while on a car journey? Will our attachment be damaged if I can’t breastfeed exclusively? Will her sense of security and stability be affected if she goes to childcare? “Terrible, unendurable,” Kierkegaard called this lack of knowing—and sometimes I felt this about the heaviness of potential harm.
