First, congratulations! It's not easy to even get pregnant for some people, so awesome work there!
As per a list of 'to-dos', yeah, sorry mate, that's not how babies really work. I really wish it was, but it's not.
As the Dad, you're mostly just going to be supporting Mom through all this. Just remember, it's not about you, it's about supporting Mom and the baby for the next ~18 months. Mom's hormones are going to be real wacky until the due data and then ~3 months afterwards. She'll need support and calm strength. Just breathe, y'all will make it through it.
Honestly, you're going to spend those next ~18 months just cooking and cleaning for them (a LOT of cleaning).
Baby will tell you (hopefully) when it needs changing and feeding and whatnot. Your 'instincts' will kick in and help out there.
No two babies are the same. All the advice is mostly bupkiss. However, it is important to read it all. You never know when one of those bits of advice will come in handy. "No plan survives contact with the enemy, but planning is everything".
One VERY important thing though: Get on the daycare lists right now.
I don't know where you are, but the post-covid daycare landscape is really bad. I've have friends on lists for ~22 months. We were on a list for ~14 months. Your local area may be totally chill, or a disaster. You also may not think you're going to use daycare now, but change your mind in when the baby comes. Get on those lists now to have the option. And yes, daycare is crazy expensive, but personal home care is much much more so.
As per a list of 'to-dos', yeah, sorry mate, that's not how babies really work. I really wish it was, but it's not.
As the Dad, you're mostly just going to be supporting Mom through all this. Just remember, it's not about you, it's about supporting Mom and the baby for the next ~18 months. Mom's hormones are going to be real wacky until the due data and then ~3 months afterwards. She'll need support and calm strength. Just breathe, y'all will make it through it.
Honestly, you're going to spend those next ~18 months just cooking and cleaning for them (a LOT of cleaning).
Baby will tell you (hopefully) when it needs changing and feeding and whatnot. Your 'instincts' will kick in and help out there.
No two babies are the same. All the advice is mostly bupkiss. However, it is important to read it all. You never know when one of those bits of advice will come in handy. "No plan survives contact with the enemy, but planning is everything".
One VERY important thing though: Get on the daycare lists right now.
I don't know where you are, but the post-covid daycare landscape is really bad. I've have friends on lists for ~22 months. We were on a list for ~14 months. Your local area may be totally chill, or a disaster. You also may not think you're going to use daycare now, but change your mind in when the baby comes. Get on those lists now to have the option. And yes, daycare is crazy expensive, but personal home care is much much more so.