Mother's column – childlike trust is hard to keep in times of distress

Oh no, I missed a call from the hospital! How is that possible? I have been extra alert all day, because the children's doctor promised to call around 9.00 o'clock to tell me the results of an examination. It is nothing serious, but I am still curious about what she has to say.

Bedtime for Reinout. Before going upstairs, I give him a clean diaper. That may sound like a routine job, but it can be quite challenging to change a nappy. While holding Reinout in a vice grip, I shout: "Jan! I need the nappy wipes. And can you bring the pot of Sudocrem as well? And Reinout, please stay down for a while!"

Shortly after Sifra's birth in 2021, I am not quite the phlegmatic mother I wanted to be. It also does not help that Reinout has had the RS virus as a baby and that this virus is going around at the time that Sifra is born.