oo i have a 4 and 2 year old running around as i type this comment. you specifically asked what to prep for what's to come so i'll make some recommendations for that: - you're going to lose sleep, i dont know how to practice or prepare for this other than for the next 4 months (post birth), sleep will be a luxury but even moreso for momma so get as much sleep as you can now. things get better between 4 months and 2 years and then the terrible twos occur which in my experience has been sleepless nights for a couple of weeks again. - you're most likely going to gain weight. most habits/structure you have with working out, diet, etc.. go out the window when baby enters your world. if you dont already have work outs and healthy diet in place, it's only going to get worse. after my first born, i gained 30 pounds and when i received a pre-diabetic prognosis when my son was 12 months, i turned my life around by getting back into the habit of working out/exercising and went strict keto. by the time my second was born, i was down 40 pounds. because i had built the habit of exercise and diet going into my second born, i actually maintained my lifestyle until a completely different life milestone of being forced to step in as a General Contractor for my rona suburb house threw a wrench in everything.

after reading my own comment, i think the main thing to prepare for is sht will feel like it is hitting the fan (sometimes literal sht). nothing will go as expected and everything will change. don't try to "plan" and set expectations for how things will go because it most likely won't happen how it's "planned". this doesn't mean don't plan... you can absolutely plan for things but don't hinge success or happiness based on those plans!

i think i handle stress and unknown situations MUCH better than my partner because i'm a "go with the flow" kind of person. my spouse is a "plan for everything and always get disappointed" kind of person. with kids, nothing ever goes according to plan and the better you can shift your mindset to live and enjoy life as it happens, the more you'll actually be able to.

as the father, there's less we're literally able to do in the first 12 months (if momma is breast feeding) so anything you can help with and call "your responsibility" the less momma has to do. my friends have become the best at: - diaper changers - putting baby to sleep - burping baby after feeding (btw, baby ALWAYS can burb after a feeding. you pat/rub baby back surprisingly hard until you hear them burb, ALWAYS) - shower/bathe baby - washing/cleaning bottles - laundry/cleaning around the house

my life changed when mini-me popped out. hope yours does too!