Every baby book that I read (and tried to make my husband read) in the lead-up to the birth of our first child tried to prepare us for not only the fact that our lives were about to change, but also for the possibility that our relationship might take a hammering.
All through my first pregnancy, my husband was the model of an understanding, expectant father. In fact, he even gained a considerable amount of sympathy weight. But once our little boy arrived, it was easier to see how a new baby could rattle the strongest of relationships.
Our baby did not sleep for more than two hours at a time until he was well past six months old, and only after we had tried every trick in the book. We introduced a dummy, started him on rice cereal at four months, kept him awake as much as possible during the day and fed him more often in the day. And he was unable to sleep anywhere but on someone's shoulder.
As we have discovered, continued lack of sleep can quickly make monsters of the best of us, and it is usually those closest who bear the brunt of stress and still-adjusting hormones.
Yet we got through it. My husband encouraged me to reconnect with friends by taking care of our son for the night, and I could take them for the day while doing freelance work.
To say that our lives had changed is no understatement.