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Hello, I'm new to the board - due in April - I wondered if anybody knew of any antenatal classes in Crouch End? I've spoken to my local NCT booking secretary and she says no local courses are planned for that time of year. I'm going to attend the ones put on by my local hospital but I'd love to meet other mums living nearby in a more informal environment.
my dd is a year old now but i couldn't get nct classes in n8 or islington or anywhere near for love nor money. and the nct woman was quite rude to me into the bargain. spoke to another friend who had had same problem a few months before me. i'm sorry if nothing has changed - you'd think crouch end would be wall to wall nct classes wouldn't you?
in the end i went to hosp classes and did yoga junction prep for birth classes and yoga for pregnancy. their baby yoga also fab - dd still loves it. yoga junction near finsbury park tube if you flush, the active birth centre is nearby -they do various classes but too expensive for me!
You could also try ringing crouch end health visitors (at crouch end health centre) and asking them for classes as they organise postnatal groups (which are good and i have made friends there).good luck!
Thanks for your reply - it is weird that CE is so badly served by the NCT when it seems to be wall-to-wall mother and babies. I'll give all those things you mention a bash, thanks again.
I did NCT in Highgate and didn't make any friends through it 'cos everyone was so scattered throughout north & east London! My health visitor called Trish Pollack organised a post-natal group and that is how I met all my lovely chums in Crouch End/Highgate. I think she's moved to Muswell Hill now but maybe you should have a word at your GPs and see if they do something like this? Honestly, it was a life-saver for me
I tried to post a few minutes ago but it doesn't seem to have gone through. Not in Crouch End but a couple of miles east of you in south Tottenham, also due in April (24). That's bad news about the NCT classes, my mum has been nagging me and I filled in an online enquiry form but it took two weeks to get an email telling me to ring the number on the website. Well, I can't really ring round from work - not quite public yet.
Which hospital are you going to? I'm booked into the Whittington (geographically not closest, but way easier to get to from home - one direct bus - and from work near Kings Cross (5 mins from the tube) than the horrible North Mid (the bus there is one of two, is every half hour and makes the hospital seem even more in the middle of nowhere than it really is)
Hi Luci, yes I'm booked in at the Whittington too. I've been really impressed by the level of care I've been given so far. It may be a bit run-down but I think the staff are excellent, how are you finding it? I'll be back there for my 20 wk scan on Nov 27th.
Castlesintheair - thank you for the tip, I'll mention it to my midwife.
I know! I couldn't get onto NCT classes either. I've seen a new service advertised that covers Crouch End, Muswell Hill, Highgate and East Finchley called Plusbaby (I think the website is www.plusbaby.co.uk) who offer antenatal classes. You could try them? Hope this helps...
Hi, I couldn't get on to normal NCT classes in CE either, but managed to find one in Tottenham, run by Cathy Harltey which were fine, perhaps ask NCT about her. I met some really nice people through these, although they are smaller groups that normal NCT classes.
It is weird re lack of NCT classes in CE, you can;t move for buggies round here!
I had DD in Whit and found it to be good. Definitely book an amenity room when you get to the hospital though, that made all the difference to me, and at £90 a night, it's expensive, but definitely worth it!
Also if you join the NCT you'll get put on the email list and get invites to loads of new mums teas etc which are nice.
good luck
x
Just be warned...the post natal care in the Whittington is legendary. Make sure you get someone to bring you all your meals and get the hell out as soon as you can.
Actually yes, I didn;t eat a thing from the Whit when I was in there as the food stank, OH went out for M&S sandwiches, and I got largely ignored, but that suited me as all was fine, don;t know how I would have felt if had been any probs. Also the community midwives are lovely whilst most (bar one) of the ones I met on a sunday night shift were stroppy cows who refused to give me a water birth.
Hello! I live in Muswell Hill. (it's so nice to see familair MN names and to know that you are living in the same areas!)
Attended NCT in Highgate (by a lovely French lady called Muriel). But everyone who signed up were rather scattered in locations and in the end, we lost contact. But after giving birth, my local MH clinic organised post-natal groups and 2.5 yrs later, I have a wonderful group of mum-friends who not only have been a great support, but have all become genuine friends who go out for girlie-dinners and Sat shopping trips. All our DH/DPs get along so well too. I personally feel that the post-natal groups were more useful thatn NCT as we were all living in the same area. Do speak to your midwife and find out from your local health clinic about post-natal group activities. Also, there are lots of playgroups around CE that you'll be able to join and get to know people from your area. Gd luck!
Suzy - yes, Trish certainly made up the horrors of the Whittington. Makes me laugh looking back - I stayed in for 3 nights & didn't eat a thing. Some of the m/wives were spectacularly grumpy too!
Greenday, Muriel was my NCT teacher too.
This is brining back memories from 5 years ago ...
Oooo castles - I was in there with ds1 April 2001, and then trailing around Waterlow Park thereafter with the pushchair ad infinitum. Could our paths have crossed?
Oh god the thought of those vinegar-tits midwives is making me shudder from 12000 miles away
Hi ejlk. Did you find anything? I contacted NCT in Haringey as I'm moving to Muswell Hill in January and was told the classes were already overbooked for my due date. I am due in May. (Do these people book when they're TTC or something???)
Was told to try NCT Barnet and NCT Islington (where I am currently based). Have you had any joy?
Someone may have meintioned this already - I go to pregnancy yoga classes in Crouch End above the Haelan Centre - there are classes on Tues & Fri eve. I'm not that local, but a lot of the Mums in the class are.
Go to the website and then the clinic section - there is a link to the pregnancy yoga class section.
http://www.haelan.co.uk
PS Check regulary with the NCT as they sometimes run extra classes or they may run coffee meet ups for afterwards.
Suzy my darling I've already started. Just fine tuning my birth prep classes, but whilst I'm doing that I know several people who could do with some now.
Hello ladies, thanks for all your useful messages - and the tip off about the catering at the Whittington! For those in the same boat, I ended up booking classes in Highgate with PlusBaby - had a long chat to the course organiser who was lovely. Basically it's 5 weeknight clases for 5 consecutive weeks at at a cost of £200 per couple - they also give lots of post-natal support if you want it e.g. finding local childcare etc. which I think will be really helpful. Lo and behold, on Tuesday this week Haringey NCT then emailed offering me a place on a course in Muswell Hill on Saturday mornings starting in Feb but I was all signed-up with PlusBaby by then - anyway - if that would suit you try giving their booking secretary a call - they might still have places left. Thanks again for all your help.
Hello, for those of you still looking for classes, my friend told me of 2 midwives who run private classes at the Haelan Centre. Think the website is www.birthingmatters.co.uk
Hope this is useful
Don't know if any of you are still looking for an ante-natal course in London, but I'm running a 2-day course in March in Notting Hill. This is not a birth preparation class - it's all about preparing for the emotional challenges of life after birth, which is something that many of my clients say they wish they'd covered in ante-natal classes (btw I have advertised this properly in the classifieds section, so I'm not just being cheeky!)
Hi
I'm new to mumsnet - due 8th June and live in the Finsbury Park area of North London. Can't get into NCT and have the option of Plusbaby, The Active Birth Centre or North London Antenatal Teachers - somewhere in Tottenham. Has anyone been to or checked out any of these and if so which would you recommend as a good place to meet people in my area?
Thanks a lot!!
ps - is there a due in June thread?
Hi
I'm new to the site! Due in August and also having major probs trying to find antenatal classes in Crouch End. I want to do the classes but also want to meet other mums! Does anybody know if there is a thread for people in N8 or N6? It would be good to chat to some locals while in pursuit of the classes. Can't believe Haringay NCT of all places aren't running any classes in Crouch End. It's mum and baby central!
My yoga teacher Julie Tortora runs a great yoga class for pregnant women (as well as a mother-and-baby strength class for after the birth). It's on a few times a week, run from her own lovely & calm home.
A really fulfilling experience - both spiritually (or whatever you want to call it) and physically.
Julie's got a website, at http://www.lifelongyoga.co.uk/ - her phone number is on the 'contact' bit of it - give her a ring!
Hello, I am due in July and keen to meet up with any mothers to be in the Muswell Hill area. I am new to the neighborhood and know very few people around. Finding ante natal classes around here is a real puzzle but reading this has been helpful!
Hello there, I think I'm continuing a common theme here - I contacted Haringey NCT who run classes in Crouch End, and guess what? Yep, fully booked. I'm not due until December 07, so thought I was being super organised!
Anyway, after reading through your posts I contacted Plus Baby in Highgate. Has anyone attended antenatal classes there and if so, how did you find them/would you recommend them? Also were the people attending local - ie from Mus Hill, Crouch End?
Nat, if you don't get any joy with PlusBaby then you can always try me and the courses that I run. You can email me on lovelymarslady at aol dot com. I'm in Crouch End with the course running in Muswell Hill.
A doula client of mine used PlusBaby and was very happy with it.
Hello! My DS2 is due in 3 weeks' time and we're moving to Crouch End at around the same time (marvellous planning ). Does anyone have any ideas if there are mum and baby and toddler groups around? Anyone else in the same boat?
Really can't wait to move - all of my nesting energy is being completely wasted and I should be sorting out a new house! Hope to see some of you in Crouch End!
Hi, I wish I'd returned to this thread between autumn/winter and now.
I never did get on a longer antenatal class, just a one day one preparing for what to expect in giving birth at the Whittington in March - I was due in April (on 24th). It was very useful, as I was able to make informed decisions about pain relief and to understand a necessary intervention used when it was proposed, and feel ok about it, but a longer course would have been better. My baby was late and I had to be inc
My dp for some reason did receive an email at the end of April about a postnatal course in June via Haringey NCT. I saw it and responded saying yes please. The woman who is running it actually lives in Barnet (East Finchley) and also appears to be the NCT contact for everything which isn't covered. In other words, the NCT is short on volunteers. Her name is Cathy Neale. I start the course tomorrow and will try to mention if I get to chat to her that there's a lot of people looking for antenatal classes in the area - East Finchley isn't that far from Muswell Hill and Crouch End.
A wonderful place to come and meet other new mums or ones with toddlers and small babies, is at the Woodlands Centre on Woodlands Park Road, just east of Green Lanes. It's what I'd consider Harringay, very close to me in Tottenham, but a lot of the women there come from Finsbury Park, Crouch End, Wood Green. On my first visit I had to rush back home, the second week (just gone) I was invited for what turned out to be a regular gathering for lunch in a cafe on Green Lanes.
Perhaps we should organise a Haringey mners meetup some time.
Hi elkidee, Congratulations on the birth of your April baby! Hope you are coping well and getting some sleep! Did you have a boy or a girl?
I've just emailed Cathy Neale, I'm hoping the NCT is a good way to meet local Mums and find out what's going on in the area - I just can't believe there are so few volunteers in Crouch End! I thought it was baby central round there.
I'd definitely be interested in a mnet metup around Haringey - obviously I need to move there first and have this baby, but I am keen...
I know that you can contact people via email from mnet but I don't know how - any ideas?
If anyone is still looking for antenatal classes in or around crouch end then try birthingmatters, they are midwives that run private classes at the haelan centre. My friend did classes with them and thought they were great!!
I'm going to antinatal classes in Crouch End in October. Mine will be held in the Union Church in Ferme Park Road. Try this email address haringey.antenatalteachers@tesco.net
for an enquiry. Hope this helps.
Mrswizz, I'm still keen to make contact with other mumnsnet people in Haringey. Do you live in Crouch End? Where are you planning to have your baby? I'm on postnatal April 2007 because that's when baby was due though he actually turned up in May, I live a couple of miles east of Crouch End and I gave birth at the Whittington.
My experiences at the Whittington were mixed but I am happy with my decision to go there as opposed to other hospitals. All the midwives I encountered were great, especially on admission and during labour - I liked the ones working on post-natal but there just weren't enough there to help with getting feeding established. I've heard stories from other women in this area about encountering really rude staff at other hospitals, no one at the Whittington was less than friendly and polite, even though it was evident that they were stretched very thin at times.
I'm due at Christmas and am going to weekly ante-natal yoga classes at the Methodist Church on Middle Lane (Crouch End) run by Anna www.birthwiseyoga.co.uk While obviously it's mostly yoga there is a lot of talking and sharing of experiences which I'm finding invaluable. I haven't been able to get on any other courses with the exception of one in Finchley which involves five consecutive Tuesday mornings. The course organiser's email assured me that my work legally had to allow me the time off- but I can just imagine my boss' face! And of course no way on earth dh could come along. So looks like I'll just be going with the Whittington's one-day course in November.
Hi - just picked up this thread - sorry for the absence and hope you're all well. We did the PlusBaby classes, they were pretty good and I met some lovely mum-to-bes but I didn't learn anything I hadn't already read in a book. I also did a course of 3 consecutive weeks run by the Whittington (free of charge) and in terms of content, they proved to be much more useful, realistic and more importantly, relevant to my experience of labour because they were run by a Whittington midwife. I'd say it would be worth doing both because PlusBaby is a smaller group with more opportunities to make friends (we were all N8 / N6 based), but in terms of accurate info, the NHS classes were far superior.
I have been doing a course run by North London Antenatal Teachers in Crouch End (antenatalclasses.org.uk) - the teacher also does NCT courses some of the time.
Bit late for me now as due any day but thought I'd let you know that I know several friends who have been to the plusbaby classes in North London(www.plusbaby.co.uk) and thought they were great - very reassuring and lots of practical information too...wish I'd heard about it before.
