My wife read a couple of books and found some Instagram influencers that helped her (Formula Mom since we went the formula route, and Taking Cara Babies which was also suggested by our pediatrician). For me, subscribing to online communities around parenting and being a dad helped me see how others did it.

We also took the course on Tinyhood, but maybe we did it a bit too early because we forgot most of it by the time our kid was born.

Best advice on what to expect for your first kid is it’s a bigger change than you think it is. It’s not like it’s bad/worse than before (though it will feel like that) but it puts everything into perspective. I stop myself at work and don’t bother with email/Slack until the morning because I’d rather hang out with them. I’ve been thrown up on and my brain said it just doesn’t matter, take care of the little one. It’s a lot of little things that just reorient you towards what’s important in a way you can’t expect.

And do your best to get sleep. If you have parents you trust and they’re willing to help, see if they can come over for a while so you and your partner can catch up on sleep. This is easier if you go with formula vs breastfeeding but it’s still a load off your mind during this time. The first night is probably the hardest (my freak out was on night one!), then the first week is maybe one notch less, and it gets easier as you get into a routine with yourselves and your newborn.

It’s cliche to say but you’ve got this. You just don’t know it yet.

EDIT: Added links to the “main pages” for those folks I mentioned now that I’m on a PC