The first thing you'll need to do, while you're in the hospital, take a baby blanket and kind of rub the kid down with it and bring it home. Let the cat sniff it to get him used to a new baby smell.

Whoever is the main caregiver of the cat should NOT carry the baby in the house when you come home. Let the main caregiver of the cat make a fuss over the cat while the other parent bring the baby in. Set the baby carrier on the floor and let the cat approach the baby.

You'd be very surprized how curious cats are. The cat will sniff the baby and kinda walk away as if to say, "Oh, is THAT all???"

I hope both your transitions go smoothly.

BTW, the old wives tale of the cat sucking the breath out of the kid is just that, an old wives tale. The cat would smell the forumla on the baby's breath, which is how the old wive's tale came to be.