[mredskins]

Originally Posted by mike340

Don't worry..I had my first just before my 44th birthday. So far (I turn 54 this month) I'm still alive...and a 5th (and last) just landed on Nov 1. Now if this last one had been our 4th boy I don't think I would be alive 2 years from now, but thankfully it was a girl.

Congrats SS for the baby.

A few notes:
1) Get the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (which you've probably already done.)
2) Make sure your wife takes the pre-natal vitamins (especially for the folic acid needed for spinal development) and gets enough protein daily. This will help make sure that the baby is healthy at birth. (The above book talks about this, although I find their section on nutrition is a bit extreme.)
3) My wife had a lot of trouble breastfeeding, and using a breast pump was very painful for her (some fissures opened up on her aureolae). If this occurs and breastfeeding is important to you (very important for the development of the immune system of the baby) then I don't see any way that your wife can be leaving the baby for extended periods of time.
4) Our first pregnancy was the classic "surprise" pregnancy. Everything worked out just fine.
5) Be prepared to gain weight during the pregnancy. She will get full quickly at the end of the pregnancy and you will be called upon to finish...
6) If you need/want to save money, there's a consignment expo at Dulles Convention Center twice a year called Dani's Duds. In addition you should be able to get a lot of things at yard sales. Costco used to have very cheap diapers but no more.
7) Try out the Gerbers before you give them. Some of them have a HORRIBLE flavor. At one of the baby showers there was a game where everyone was supposed to taste the Gerbers and guess what type it was. There was one where 6 of the 7 tasters guessed it was pureed chalk. (It was actually "chicken and vegetables".)
8) I hope you can find formula your baby likes. Between our second and third kids they changed formula. I think the difference is that now all of them have DHEA (Damn Horrible Extra Additive). Our first and second children liked formula. With the newer stuff even our dogs won't touch it.

Most of the post-birth comments and recommendations were awesome, so I have nothing to add about that.

Good luck!

Dude! God bless you!