President Dwight Eisenhower (General Eisenhower, at the time) once said: "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." This insight holds true for first time parents, who will have a wild ride no matter what, but can at least know more or less what to expect after that natal day.
By reading several baby books and multiple articles, by consulting websites, by attending Lamaze classes, and by generally digesting as much literature about pregnancy and infant care as we could, my wife and I prepared ourselves mentally and learned how to prepare our home physically for the arrival of our first child. In fact, I read, watched videos, took notes in class, and listened to podcasts so thoroughly that in an odd way I felt more prepared for the birth of our first kid than of our second.