For anyone deciding about antenatal classes

emilyegg11 · Mar 19, 2012 3:48PM

I thought I'd put a little message on here about my experience with ante-natal classes as when I was pregnant with my first, I wasn't too sure what to do. We ended up going to NCT evening classes because the NHS ones were in the day and my husband couldn't come.

I've got to be honest, alot of the stuff we learnt in them you could get from a book or from going to the antenatal yoga. HOWEVER it was worth going just for the friends I have made. There were 8 couples in total and 7 of us have stayed in contact 18 months after classes.

The friendship I have with them is absolutely invaluable. During maternity leave we literally did everything together, from midnight texts when babies woulnd't sleep to going round each others houses in pj to help with feeding and crying babies. We went on day trips, joined sensory classes and shared weaning purees.

When I went back to work full time they stayed in contact with me and gave me support. We now see each other every month for dinner and most weekend for soft plays, plus the occasional big family trip out to the zoo or beach. The husbnds have also been out together.

I know that alot of people don't have this experience and it's really a post code lottery. It's not suitable for everyone but I think if you're not sure go for it as the friends I have made will be friends for my lifetime. X

GreyMum · Mar 17, 2012 6:26AM

i would totally echo this post! i was really unsure about them, felt they were a bit pretentious and wasn't sure i 'needed' more friends where the only thing we would have in common was babies! how wrong was i!? the girls i met have been an absolutely invaluable support for me and we see eachother loads. 4 out of the 6 of us have now had or are due to have second babies and so we are now off on maternity leave together all over again. i would highly recommend the nct courses, as emilyegg says, not for what you will learn (which probably won't be much) but for the support network and friendships it provides. hope this helps someone trying to decide whether to invest in these courses.

blondefriend · Mar 17, 2012 9:04AM

Another echo!

My daughter has just turned 3 and we all still attend each other's birthday parties and we have an annual Christmas party where we all get together. 5 out of the seven of us have now had 2nd babies and when my son was in hospital for so long (4mths) they were a real support. We even came back from GOSH one day to find a hamper of goodies from them on our doorstep. The NCT classes themselves were useful but nothing special but as new mums we really supported each other and met 1/2 times a week. We all BF for at least 6 months and I put a lot of that down to the advice and support we gave each other. The group still meets every week (although I can only join them in the holidays as I work FT) and we now exchange info about preschools, reading books and sibling rivalry. We've been through weaning, nurseries and potty training together.

H xx

Lizzie_76 · Mar 17, 2012 10:49AM

Same for me. We still see a lot of each other 2 years on, and 4 of us are now pregnant again so will have at least some of our mat leave overlapping.

I also did NHS classes and met a couple of girls there who were actually on the same NCT class (but not mine). I sort of ended up gatecrashing their NCT group too and now I think most of them forget that I didn't actually do NCT with them! So whilst the classes covered a lot of the same stuff, I was lucky enough to end up with 2 great groups of friends which made my first maternity leave a fantastic experience.

gerdy78 · Mar 18, 2012 4:52AM

Hi ladies,

Thank you for these posts! I am starting my NCT antenatal classes in May, ready for due date in July. My sister did NCT antenatal classes and has had similar experiences - made great friends - both her and her husband!

I am glad that we have invested the money, and can't wait to start them (even just to meet everyone!)

Did anyone do any of the NCT post-natal classes, or any other class?

Thanks!

emilyegg11 · Mar 18, 2012 5:04PM

Hi Gerdy78

I did the antenatal yoga classes from 20 weeks and they were amazing! Infact I would say the techniques got me through my labour and I am already booked on the classes again for my second labour.

As for post natal classes I didn't do any, however one of the girls did an early-days course and she really enjoyed it. One thing I did however was to make a list of all teh mother and baby classes in my area.

I thought that if I didn't happen to get on with any of the NCT girls then at least i would know where there were other groups. Turned out we all went to them together! We literally did something everyday as we had amazing sure start centres near us which did baby sensory and rhyme time. Also look at what your local library offers.

It's really worth doing because once baby arrives you won't have the time in the early days to think about classes let alone making a list!

LittleMissImpatient · Mar 19, 2012 9:57AM

hi ladies

thank you for this advice!

I am in 2 minds about joining but this is swaying me.

my friend put me off cos she said it was epxensive and they had no spaces left when she tried to join.

I have a question, once you pay for membership, do you then have to pay extra for the classes?

xxxxx

basscl · Mar 19, 2012 2:07PM

I didn't do the nct antenatal classes but wish I had ( I was swayed by my mw who went on and on about the nhs ones which were crap). But I did do the nct postnatal course which was just as good, if not more so as we all had babies and were discussing the problems, challenges and feelings over the first few months. Like many others we all became good friends and still regularly meet up.

emilyegg11 · Mar 19, 2012 3:48PM

Hi Little Miss Impatient

I didn't actually pay for NCT membership,just for the classes. Our classes were ??180 and we did them every week in the evening for two hours for 8 weeks. As for the yoga classes I am currently on the waiting list and they are ??5 for 90 minutes.

I know it sounds like alot of money but I simply cannot tell you how great these classes are. I felt completly relax after doing the course about labour and becoming a parent but most of all the friends i have made are friends for life. I would have paid 5 x as much just to have made a friendship group like we have.

And as for the yoga - I had a three hour labour without anytime for any painrelief (and gas and air made me sick) so if I hadn't leant those breathing techniques from yoga I'm not sure what I would have done!

For anyone deciding about antenatal classes

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