a few simple rules

Parenting advice is, perhaps a bit surprisingly, not difficult to come by. Be it in the hospital, or random other people who have kids, or random people who have had kids, or random people who know of people who have kids, it's pretty common to hear "What you should do is..." What follows is typically along the lines of "We tried everything else, and what finally calmed my baby down was..."

The best is the conflict between what your parents did for you, and what the child care experts and hospital type folks tell you. Basically, everything your parents did was wrong and it's no small miracle that you survived even an hour with them (don't even bother asking your about what your grandparents did). Or so it seems talking to people who know better.

With that in mind, and because every experience is unique, and mostly because my advice isn't really worth the internet it's printed on, I had a few short rules that, in the brief two weeks I've been Big Poppa, appear to be universal.

one
If your wife is breastfeeding, and the baby gets very fussy just hand him over. He's hungry and there's nothing you can do. Don't fight that losing battle.

two
While in the hospital, the nurses, aides, meal deliverers, custodians, basically any hospital staff member or even most people that just look like hospital staff, are to receive the utmost respect, courtesy, and gratitude. The primary reason is they've earned it: they're doing a lot of dirty work so you don't have to. Just yet anyways. But the secondary (yet not much less important) reason is that these are the folks whose primary responsibility is to make your wife and baby happy, healthy, and comfortable. Stepping on toes and pissing people off is not in your best interest.

three
Take the day off from work when you bring your wife and baby home from the hospital. Take the following day off as well, the next two if you can. Just trust me. You'll thank me later.

four
Finally (I told you it's only a few), it's OK to be crazy. Everybody is crazy at first, waking up even though the little guy is sound asleep and creeping over to the cradle just to make sure everything's OK. You've suddenly grabbed yourself a whole big heaping plate of responsibility, and that can be shakingly intimidating. Just know that everybody else did it too. If they tell you otherwise, they're lying. Keep in mind everything will be OK, even though the pediatrician just rolled her eyes for the third time in the last ten minutes. The time races by, and before you know it you'll trust yourself enough to sleep. Or be too exhausted to let the little things keep you up, either way you're getting some rest, so roll with it.