My husband and I lived with my in-laws in their country for about 3 years. During that time, I gave birth to our first child. We brought him home from hospital in the evening. The next morning I settled into the comfy chair to feed my new baby. At some point he fell asleep and I went to do something, I don’t remember what - maybe get more water or take my plate to the kitchen. She saw me and admonished me to sit back down. What she said that I’ll never forget?

“Your job is to look after the baby, my job is to look after you”

And she did. While I needed it she looked after me almost like my own mother would have, leaving me to focus entirely on the baby and myself. No relationship is perfect, but I’ve definitely lucked out with my mother-in-law!