Congrats!
My daughter will be 2 in November. I'll be 33 just a few days after she turns 2. The wife will be 32 in July.
Best advice I can give you: Every child is different. Friends and family will offer TONS of advice. Some of it might be worth it's weight in gold, and some of it might not apply to your baby in the slightest. Take advice with a grain of salt. Again... every child is different.
When my daughter was born, I was terrified I wouldn't know what to do... or that I wouldn't be a good dad. I got over that in about a week or two after getting her home. You really only need a few key things when a baby is born. I recommend pre mixed formula in the little 2 oz bottles at first. You may need to try different brands to find one that agrees with the baby. Swaddles, a baby swing, diapers and wipes, stuff to bath the baby, A&D ointment (both the regular and zinc oxide stuff). Thats the basics really.
Our daughter has NEVER slept well. In the first 3 months of her life, there were days where she didn't sleep 4 total hours in a whole day. We had to take her for car rides, steam up the bathroom and sit in there with her, give her baths, sing to her and her swing was a godsend for getting he to sleep the little bit she did. She was colicky, had digestive issues and quickly got her days and nights mixed up. It's been "slightly" better these past few months but still very stressful in the sleep department. Have patience, lots of patience. And prepare for the fact you might not get regular sleep for a few years.
If the mother is going to breastfeed, do not be alarmed, upset, or discouraged if the baby won't latch and breast feed naturally. My daughter wouldn't and my wife got a lot of "feedback" basically shaming her or putting her down (directly or indirectly) because the baby wouldn't latch. My wife pumped breast milk for the baby consistently, some days pumping 4-6 times and the baby always had plenty of breast milk. As long as the baby gets the milk, that's what is important. Don't let anyone put you down otherwise if you choose not to breast feed either. Plenty of parents choose not to do it for one reason or another. Those children turn out just fine...
The last tid bit I can recommend is don't get super hung up on the doctors or pediatricians "advice" of where the baby should be. I'll give an example. At one of our last appointments the doctor said that the baby should be saying 10-17 distinguishable words by "X" months old. Some people can get super wound up... if the baby is only saying 6 to 8 words by "X" months old then suddenly something is wrong with the baby. No. If the child is well beyond that "X" months and still not saying ANY words... then yeah there may be an issue. But if the baby is only saying 9 words and not 10 to 17... everything is fine.
Still I love that little girl more than anything in the world. It's the best thing I've ever done, and every stressful second has been worth it. I'd relive every moment over again in a heart beat if it came down too it. Cherish every day! I know I do. I tell my daughter every day how beautiful she is (and she really is) and how much I love her. I never plan to stop telling her! I never wish away the days either. They are only little once!
