My husband Jake and I welcomed our daughter, Tilly, three weeks ago, but things quickly became overwhelming. Despite promising to share parenting equally, Jake barely helped, often saying his paternity leave was too short. I was left exhausted, barely sleeping more than an hour at a time, and struggling to care for our baby alone.

Last Saturday, during a family gathering for Tilly’s one-month birthday, I fainted from sheer exhaustion. While I was surrounded by worried relatives, Jake seemed more upset about how I embarrassed him. His focus was on his image, not my well-being, which hurt deeply.

The next day, Jake ignored me and the baby, upset that I went to bed instead of discussing things. Feeling unsupported and drained, I started packing to leave when my in-laws showed up unexpectedly. They’d hired a nanny to help and sent me on a spa retreat to recover.

While I rested, Jake attended a “baby boot camp” to learn how to care for Tilly properly. When I returned, he apologized and even sold his vintage guitars to pay for the nanny and retreat. Their intervention saved our marriage, teaching us the importance of teamwork and support.