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Original poster

NCT v NHS antenatal classes

51 replies

3dogsandababy · 14/12/2019 15:17

Hi, I’m currently 17 weeks pregnant (first baby) and living in Leeds. My midwife mentioned that I should start looking into antenatal courses about now.
I’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find anything about NHS classes other than a tour of the maternity unit which you can’t book until 30 weeks.
I’ve been reading about NCT courses and they seem great, just a bit pricey.
Any advice/experience would be amazing please! Are the NCT classes worth the money, and where do I find out about the NHS classes? I just don’t want to be left without anything!
Thanks

OP posts:

RedLipstickHighHeels · 14/12/2019 18:11

Sorry I forgot to say Congratulations on your pg, @3dogsandababy
hope you’re happy & healthy

Spice04 · 14/12/2019 18:14

It really does depend and such a personal choice. In our area NHS antenatal classes have been stopped, although the children's centre run a short duration workshop for the latter stages of pregnancy. It truly depends what you want to get out of it. If you need knowledge on your local procedures, I.e birth choices in your area, when your hospital advise you to go in etc, then your NHS classes will no doubt fulfill this. If you're looking to make 'mum friends', maybe get more info on alternative birth choices, breastfeeding then NCT may be the right choice for you. I did NCT, I've made a fantastic group of friends and we're all on babies no. 2/3. I also now volunteer for the local NCT branch. Happy to answer any other questions you may have and all the best of luck with your pregnancy xx

totallyradllama · 14/12/2019 18:17

If you don't have friends with babies I would go for a course where you meet regularly over a few weeks so as to bond with some other mothers. I also made a couple of good friends at a pregnancy swimming class that included coffee after.

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SuperDuperJezebel · 14/12/2019 18:25

I did both NHS and NCT and I'm glad I did as I learned loads, and made some absolutely brilliant friends. I'm not angsty or middle class or obsessed with house prices! I am a nanny and at that point had 15y experience but still found it incredibly beneficial. Our teacher was lovely, really interesting and entertaining and very much pro birth choices, we all really enjoyed it.

@3dogsandababy I have a few friends who did Daisy Foundation birthing classes and said they were great, I think they are less expensive and they have classes in Leeds thedaisyfoundation.com/

whiteroseredrose · 14/12/2019 18:33

I think NCT varies between areas. With DS I was in Bristol and working so NCT in the evening was great. DH could join me and we got very friendly with the other 5 couples in our group. They were a similar age to us and yes all were middle class. It was good to have friends with babies, meet up for coffee and baby massage while on MAT leave.

I was in South Manchester with DD and went on mat leave early so I could do the NHS ones during the day. Much more factual, less interest in helping you set up a support network, although I managed. However the NCT was much cliquier there, and I had less in common.

RedLipstickHighHeels · 14/12/2019 18:33

Theme running through the nct devotees is meeting friends, retaining contacts
I have friends, didn’t need to meet “mum friends” Plus I went back to work so don’t need the social aspect

AiryFairyMum · 14/12/2019 18:59

People are saying it is 'middle class' seemingly as a bad thing. I'd hope they wouldn't say the same about things they consider 'working class'?

RedLipstickHighHeels · 14/12/2019 19:06

Middle class is the tone and vibe. It’s palpable. NCT has an agenda
The NCT is MC in its tone,vibe,culture and it often facilitates matches,meet ups

Original poster

3dogsandababy · 14/12/2019 19:07

I wouldn't say I'm middle class and the cliquey aspect worries me as I don't like to feel left out (in as none clingy way as possible!).
I'm working full time now and don't intend on going on mat leave until a few weeks before baby's due (or until I don't fit behind my steering wheel, whichever is sooner ) and I fully intend on going back to work full time when my mat leave is over.
I've got family close by so will have a strong support network from them, just having someone my age with a baby/child of a similar age in my area would be amazing! It's been 20+ years for my parents and DH's parents having a baby so I'd like someone going through it now to turn to/meet up occasionally.
I've thought about going to aquanatal but it's winter and that means shaving my legs

OP posts:

museumum · 14/12/2019 19:15

I did pregnancy yoga and found knowing women with the same age babies invaluable in the first ten weeks or so. I met my closest friends at baby swimming but that didn’t start until 12 weeks. My dh only got two weeks off work so the yoga friends saved me in the early weeks. I was only off work six months but I’d have gone insane without company and in the early weeks wasn’t feeling resilient enough to go out and meet strangers.

Original poster

3dogsandababy · 14/12/2019 19:19

I'm not one to go out meeting people anyway so definitely don't think I'd be up to it with a newborn...
That's the time I'm a bit anxious about, when DH goes back to work (he will only have 2 weeks off), and I know my mum will always be there for me (I could phone her up at whatever time and I'm sure she's come round and help) but I think it'd be reassuring to know other people are going through what I'm going through when I'm going through it

OP posts:

DelurkingAJ · 14/12/2019 19:22

NCT will depend on your area. I was the only one at ours who did BLW and most of us went back to work (nearly all professionals, yes). I’m only loosely in touch with them but for the year of mat leave they were fab. I’ve got lots of old friends but none of them (a) local and (b) not working!

firstimemamma · 14/12/2019 19:26

Before ds was born we went to one NHS class and one breastfeeding one run by a local breastfeeding support group - both of which we booked ourselves on to.

When baby was born I took him to baby massage and a little singing group - both free, beneficial to the baby and good for making friends.

As he got older I started going to the 'bunch of toys in a church hall' type groups and he loves those. Good luck.

AiryFairyMum · 14/12/2019 19:26

Mine was mostly professionals - a dentist, a physio, an accountant etc and most were 30 or older, but we came from all different backgrounds and half ended up with c sections. There was no judgement about that. We all went back to work afterwards, although mostly part time.

bakingdemon · 14/12/2019 19:30

We did both.
NCT: lovely group of 6 couples who we see a lot. None are SAHM and a really diverse bunch. Smaller group meant we could ask a lot more questions and get into much more detail. Trainer could also adapt to the preferences of the group - eg we had two people who already knew for health reasons they were likely to have CS so she gave us lots of useful info on that (I know this is not true of all trainers and is why they have such a bad rep).
NHS: at the Hospital where I gave birth and included a tour of the birthing unit which was super reassuring (and why we did it). Reinforced what was in NCT and added some stuff like car seats. V large group so difficult to personalise the content which was largely read off PowerPoint. And also some people who asked astonishingly stupid questions which drove me slightly mad (and you could see MW trying not to laugh).
If you can afford it and have time I recommend both.

MsSquiz · 14/12/2019 19:33

I found out about the free NHS classes on the maternity section of the hospital website and we did 2 short courses - 4 hr prep for birth & labour & 2 hr using water in labour & birth

We also did a private ante natal class recommended by a couple of friends & family which was £120 per couple for 6 sessions of 2hrs. It was ran by a woman who used to be a midwife at the hospital I'm going to and we found it really useful, informal & relaxed. There were 10 couples and us women have set up a WhatsApp group to share info.
Included in the classes were 3 returning couples who had taken the classes and brought their babies back to discuss their births with us (all had different labours & births) and we had a couple bring their 11 week old baby boy so he could be bathed and changed, and also discuss how things were going

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 14/12/2019 19:38

NHS classes cover everything you need to know about giving birth and will be accurate.
NCT classes will be hit and miss accuracy wise but will allow you plenty of opportunity to make pals with middle class parents.If your skint but still interested in making pals with middle class parents then reduced fees are available.

Dangermouse80 · 14/12/2019 19:46

I liked the NCT ones, I wanted friends who were going through it all at the same time. 6 years later and we all still meet up. Makes a lovely way to have maternity leave. It really helped me as I was new to the area.

Heatherjayne1972 · 14/12/2019 20:10

I hated the NCT course. Full of middle class mums who were snooty
However the nhs one was awful too in a different way The midwife spent and hour going into great detail about dilation and cervixes Nothing about breastfeeding Wasn’t anything I didn’t know but she laboured the point so much that my DH refused to return the next time - he felt incredibly patronised. I think they got the men/birth partners to play games
(I actually felt they should give that lecture to teenagers )

Anyway that was 18 years ago. Perhaps it’s all much better now

Quinceandmedlarsrule · 14/12/2019 22:21

@RedLipstickHighHeels although your course might have been not to your taste, there are 1000's of courses around the country in different areas with a wide range of couples, single mums, and LGBT people going. I have friends who have done them in several places and they are def not all middle class SAHMs or professionals, and they have had a mix of pretty normal couples who just want information and the chance to make friends and support.

RedLipstickHighHeels · 14/12/2019 22:51

And your point is what?read the thread not everyone is an NCT acolyte
If your course was mixed & super that’s your experience
Conversely my NCT experience was middle class and stultifying.

Sashkin · 15/12/2019 02:24

Given the price of an NCT course, the attendees are always going to be well-off. £400 around here for the Signature course.

Although they do give a discount for people on “very low salaries” of

Original poster

3dogsandababy · 15/12/2019 12:33

Thanks for all of your replies. Spoken to DH this morning and we're going to do NCT as we can definitely get a place. If the NHS classes are through the day then I might go myself.
NCT swung it for us with teaching about everything, birth and how to care for a newborn rather than the NHS just focussing on birth

OP posts:

Enko · 15/12/2019 12:48

Well I am an x not breast feeding counselor and I the 8 years I did classes I have had all sorts of types people and social economic classes come through the door to the classes. Additionally I have had people who came I to "prove to me" that breastfeeding was not the right choice.

Overall I think nct is worth the money for their classes. Depending on your area yes it may mostly be middle class people if you live in an area that is mostly middle class the chances are higher. They do reduction of fees speak to the booking person about it.

I 22 years ago did both and made some lovely friends. I have contact with 3 of the nct mums still none of the NHS ones. I recall positive things from both classes and negative things from both classes.

Nct is meant to inform you this means you will end up getting a picture that they are pro natural birth as frankly providing a straightforward birth it has fewer issues. The one big one though is mental... if you experience trauma from it then that can be hard to deal with. However on a list of "negatives" it still looks pro natural as there is so few negatives. Just often that one negative is a huge one to overcome.

AiryFairyMum · 15/12/2019 13:42

You can get a discount at NCT if you are on a lower income.

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