First off, congrats!!! Lots of good advice in here already, here's some of mine (my daughter is 7 months today):
1. Buy used. Once upon a Child, kijiji, garage sales... definitely can save a lot of money. "Mom" forums also usually have buy/sell sections that are good. I got a lot from the CP buy/sell too!
2. Be ready for the baby a bit early. Like, 30 - 32 weeks is probably a good timeframe to be 90% ready (crib, carseat, clothes, hospital bag packed, nursery set-up, etc). Lots of babies go to 40 - 41 weeks, but some are early and if you're not ready it just adds to the stress of having a preemie and spending 12+ hour days at the hospital until they are strong enough to leave.
3. Sometimes the epidural doesn't actually work. So... yeah. No real advice but just thought I'd let you know because I sure as hell didn't!!
4. Just do what works best for your baby and your family. Lots of advice will be forth-coming from well-meaning friends/in-laws/strangers. Just listen, ignore any "judgement" and decide for yourselves what works. You know your baby best, after all.
5. Take lots of pictures. The time really does fly by and it's such an amazing experience, so capture the memories when you can.
