Maybe the best way to prepare for sleep deprivation is to rest as much before labour... have the expectation that it will most likely happen and that it will be hard... maybe write down somewhere the words: "it won't last forever" and "sleep when your baby sleeps and if you don't feel like sleeping at least put your feet up and DON'T weed the garden (or do anything that will exhaust you further). Make sure you read this piece of paper when you are in the grips of despair at 3am every morning and you feel like the only person awake at that hour!