| Congrats :-) I wish you all the best. You could take a look at Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care: 10th edition Pretty complete book of all the different phases without being to dogmatic. My personal advice:
Try to reduce stress (and work) wherever possible. It's good to be prepared, but don't try to plan or read too much, because you can't prepare for everything. There is always something, you did not have in mind. An example: The things you read about sudden infant death syndrome are frightning, really. The fear of doing something wrong will be with you from day 1. Try to keep it on a healthy level and do what you can. You will both be very tired in the first days, there are so many little things that WILL go wrong, but pretty likely nothing will ruin your childs life forever. It's ok, nobody is perfect. The things you should prepare is a pregnancy course (where you get much more information), organising a midwife after birth and get your documents ready... nobody want's to fight a paper war in the first days after your child is born. The weeks after birth will be extra hard, especially for your wife. Try to help her regenerate and keep an eye on her. Best case: Ask your / her parents / friends to support you in this time, e.g. with cooking, shopping and all the things that take much time or are exhausting, so you can focus on getting a rest and getting to know your baby. Oh, and get rid of the rumors, that breast feeding has to stop after 6 months. It's the best for your child, even with more than 18 months. Of course your wife should decide this.... Good luck! |