I thought the child-birth classes we did were amazingly helpful for a number of reasons: * You become familiar with the terms (procedures, drugs, etc) so that

I thought the child-birth classes we did were amazingly helpful for a number of reasons: * You become familiar with the terms (procedures, drugs, etc) so that during delivery they don't sound scary and unknown. * We met other people in our relative neighborhood at the same stage. We're still friends with many and it was a HUGE support network before and after our children were born. I think this is especially helpful with a first kid. That aside, I recommend 'The Expectant Father' for dads as a decent book that I found helpful. Final preparation tip: Lie about the 'due date' to everyone. Add an extra 2 weeks. It helps getting those annoying calls so close to delivery date. (Like if you don't return someones call in 5 minutes they assume you're in labor...) It gets annoying and fast. And for after the baby is born: Just remember that you will get your 'sleep' back one day. It will be worth it. I have such a HUGE appreciate for un-interrupted stretches of sleep now. Hang in there :)