Every baby is different, which is why all the parenting books give out varying and often conflicting advice. The first eight weeks (aka newborn phase) were pretty much a roller coaster of anxiety, trying to interpret Baby's needs and adapting to them but never really knowing if what we did improved things or made them worse or Baby Pham just moved onto the next thing despite every effort.
The downside of growing up without much exposure to new babies and new parent life meant Boyfriend Pham and I fumbled around in the dark for a lot of it. Little Sissy Pham had forgotten a lot of the newborn nuances of her baby by the time we met ours.
Pretty much all of newborn parenting was an anxiety-riddled worryfest where we guessed Baby's needs and tried our best to roll with the punches. The one time in life, you wish everyone wasn't unique so we could have a 'how to baby' manual. I asked Little Sissy and Sister-Not-In-Law for their experiences and sometimes what worked for their bubs worked for us, sometimes it didn't and we had to try something different.
Baby Pham was mix-fed formula and breastmilk from day 5 of his life. As soon as he started feeding, we learned he had bad (though not severe enough for medication) reflux and couldn't be put down to sleep because he was uncomfortable. There was a lot of contact naps and even contact overnight sleeps with him on me in a reclined nursing chair and pillows everywhere so he wouldn't fall if I dropped him in my sleep. Thankfully no scares or close calls, mum hormones and instincts kept me semi-conscious even as I slept with him in my arms. We tried our best to follow recommendations (sleep baby flat on back in bassinet with no loose items that can be choking hazards), but sometimes you just gotta do what you need to get by.
The first eight weeks were terrifying and exhilarating, and I'm so glad to be out of that intense phase. The number of decisions you have to make on behalf of a baby that can only communicate through crying while getting very little rest or sleep is overwhelming at the best of times and crippling at the worst of times. Experienced parents tell us the next baby is easier because you know what to expect, which is basically a free-for-all unstructured shitshow where you hang on to the edge of your seat and hope to make it to the end of the show. Good luck, first-time parents! I wish you all the best with your trial by fire.