@weixiao I remember leaving the hospital with my first... He had been in the NICU for a few days (very common for newborns) so they could monitor his breathing. When they finally released him, we went to the NICU door and told the nurses we were there. They brought him out said a few friendly words to us, said goodbye and then shut the door.
I distinctly remember the sound of the door shutting, leading into total silence. My wife and I were just standing there in an empty hallway with a little tiny baby and I was thinking to myself "wait.. isn't someone going to tell us what to do next?"
Well we figured out what to do next and fumbled our way through the next several months. He's almost 5 now and doing pretty well despite my wife and I still having no idea what we're doing.
You can read as many books/articles/discussions/studies as you want, but nothing can really prepare you for the first few weeks/months of having your first baby.
Here are a few things I feel like I had to learn the hard way:
-this baby is going to test you. Test your patience, test your relationship, test your sanity and test you to see how little sleep you can survive on. I found some comfort in the fact that it's a universal experience. (Particularly the relationship part)
-your baby is going to have some weird stuff happen to it. Bumps, rashes, weird behavior, weird poop, too much poop, no poop. He/she's going to make some weird breathing noises and/or cry for seemingly no reason. Whatever it is, you're going to be sure that it's the worst case scenario, and you're going to be wrong. Don't hesitate to call the doctor, but don't stress too much.
-be prepared to break your own rules and throw your parenting plans out the window. It happens to everyone at some point... Maybe at many points.
-don't fall into the trap of arguing with your spouse over who does more work. Do your best to communicate calmly and clearly even when it hurts your pride.
-don't worry too much about the right or wrong way to do things. Just making an effort is enough to make you a good parent.
I'm sure you guys are going to do great tomorrow good luck!