Sleep debt: sharing the load

If both parents are home, split the night into shifts. A common split: one parent on-call from 9pm to 2am, the other from 2am to 7am. Each gets one long uninterrupted stretch. The trade-off (short shifts of full responsibility) is worth it for the mental clarity. Sleep debt is real and hits both partners differently. The birthing parent recovers physically faster from a solid 5-hour block than from three fragmented 90-minute naps. The non-birthing parent benefits from being genuinely on duty, which shortens the birthing parent's mental load. Even if breastfeeding, the off-duty parent can still handle diaper changes, soothing, or bottle feeds with pumped milk. What doesn't work: both parents pretending they're "the light sleeper" and getting up together every time.