Even though it has now been over 20 years, I remember clearly and viscerally how it felt to bring our first daughter home from the hospital.  My wife had been in labor for over 36 hours.  We were all exhausted, yet somehow invigorated, upbeat, and excited.  We drove home from the hospital, happily pointing out all of the neighborhood landmarks to our 3-day-old, who was too sleepy to care and too small to see over the car seat, had she been awake. 

As we walked into our home, there was this dueling sense of liberation and unease.  We were free of the constraints of the hospital, we could do whatever we wanted, and yet there was this overwhelming sense of responsibility and wonder.  There I was, already finished with my training as a Pediatrician, and yet I had absolutely no idea what I needed to do as a father.

The reality, though, was that all we had to do was take a breath and allow our natural instincts to come through.  My wife nursed her, we bathed her, and beyond that, there was a lot of cuddling and getting to know our new daughter.
The point is that humans have been having babies for tens of thousands of years, and have managed to perpetuate the species without books, guides, classes, blogs and all of the other paraphernalia, technology, and equipment that we've come to depend upon to educate us on how to do something that is completely ingrained in our DNA and natural to our instincts.

So, I'd like to offer just a few concepts -- the 5 N's -- that I think can be helpful to new parents:

Nest

Find comfort in nesting at home.  There are rare times in life when you will have the chance as a family to stay at home, be together, and not do much else.  Having a baby is one of those times.  Take advantage of it.  Being at home will give you a chance to observe your baby and find a rhythm as a newly expanded family.  It will also help keep your baby away from germs that could cause you to go back to the hospital.  Bottom line: you don't want your baby to get a fever before six weeks of age.  If he or she does, there are all kinds of things we pediatricians need to do (blood tests, urine tests, chest x-rays, spinal taps, etc.) to make sure the fever is due to a harmless virus and not a life threatening bacterial infection.  So, nesting is key: stay away from crowds and ill people, and get to know and love your newborn at home.

Nourish

Babies do not know how to breastfeed perfectly at birth.  If you are breastfeeding, remember that your baby does not know anything about it.  Your baby hasn't read the books or gone to the classes, but he or she does have a natural instinct to search out food and with just a few days of practice, will become quite proficient.  During those few days, while your baby is practicing, nature has already arranged perfect timing for the milk to "come in."  So, while the concept of a baby knowing how to nurse perfectly at birth is a myth, there is no reason why both mom and baby should not be able to nurse well within a few days.  If this didn't work, we would have already become extinct.  If you choose not to nurse, use the bottle time to create a special bond.  Whichever option is best for your family, relax and enjoy the process.

Nature

Trust your instincts.  It's amazing how many people have advice for new parents, even smart new parents.  Every aunt, uncle, cousin, sibling, and parent will have advice for you on how to take care of your baby.  The problem is that most of the advice is contradictory and some will be wrong.  And worse yet, only you and your baby suffer the consequences of bad advice.  Trust your instincts, speak with your pediatrician, and then hold your ground.

Nurture

A second child is a gift to the first.  At some point, most parents expecting a second child worry that they will ruin the perfect life of their first.  In fact, you will be tremendously enriching their life, even though it may take time before they fully appreciate it.  There is great value to being a big brother or sister. They learn an enormous amount while adapting to that role.  They also gain a friend for life.  In the early few months, it may be hard to convince them of this, given that their younger sibling will be encroaching upon their domain, but there are a few things you can do to mitigate that.  Try to set aside some exclusive time for your older child.  Don't give any of your older child's possessions directly to your younger child (crib, etc.).  And, try to invest them in the fact that they are now playing a larger and more significant role in the family.

Enjoy

Finally, enjoy.  Each age of your baby will be special, but those ages do indeed go quickly.  Enjoy those first few days.  Allow the wonder of bringing a new life into this world to sink in and know that each ensuing stage comes and goes quickly but remains amazing.