I suspect fake letter.
Seriously, soldier away on active duty? I remember seeing a story about military wives support groups.
There are definitely support groups, but they don't break down your door.
My husband was in the Navy when our first child was born. I had worked before having the baby, so I didn't know very many of the other wives (who were mostly stay-at-home-moms). One of the wives I did know better than the others was a bit older than me, had two kids and had a baby a week before I had mine.
We went out to a wife's gathering when the kids were just a few weeks old. Her baby slept and was as sweet as could be. Mine screamed the WHOLE time. He totally disrupted the party and I was an embarrassed wreck. Obviously, I was a horrible mother! The women were incredibly kind to me and very reassuring but they were almost complete strangers who I would never have called for help. They certainly wouldn't have imposed themselves on a new mom they didn't know.
My baby never slept well, never settled into a schedule. I could cope with that. But when I introduced a little formula at 6 weeks old things began to go down hill. (It was gradual, so it took until he was 6 months old before we realized that the formula was the problem.)
The child cried CONSTANTLY. I called my mom and aunts, they were full of reassurances but acknowledged that my baby was probably a little spoiled (as the pediatrician had said). So, it really WAS my fault! I had ruined my baby! I was a terrible human being and a rotten mother and I was NEVER leaving the house again because then everyone would see that I was a horrible mother!
After several months, I came to the conclusion that one of these days, one or both of us was going to die. I called my mother and begged her to send us a plane ticket. I admitted that I had lied to her for weeks (breezily assuring her that everything was fine now) and was on the verge of losing my mind.
We quickly got things sorted out. Once my mother got the full story over the phone, she was a total rock and probably saved both our lives.
I loved my son desperately. But he WAS a horribly difficult infant and I was sleep deprived, scared to death that there was something major wrong with my baby and even more worried that he was ok but that I was insane.
It is very difficult to ask for help under those circumstances. The only person I could be that honest with was my mom. I knew there was help nearby. But would they have taken my baby? Would they have locked me up? Would everyone my husband works with find out?
Thank God I could turn to my mom. Thank God. Because I really don't think I could have made myself confess to anyone else.