Disappointed with antenatal class.

[PecanNut00]

I don't know if I was expecting too much but I am really disappointed with how hard it has been to make friends in our antenatal class. Am I being unreasonable to have expected more?

We've been going to Happy Parent Happy Baby classes in London and one of the main reasons for wanting to do it was to meet/make friends with other people having kids in our area. Only 3 of the classes have been in person, the rest online. The company set up a WhatsApp group for us and there are 28 people on it. Around 10 of us went to the pub after one of the classes and about 5 of us mums-to-be have been doing a yoga class together a few times. But no one gives the impression that they are looking to get to know new people.

The company suggested that the dads might wish to set up a separate group and arrange social things but one alpha guy in the group was vocal in saying he wasn't interested and essentially shut down the idea

They warn you that being a new parent can get really lonely so I was hoping to form a solid group of new parent friends.

We are due to have a final social pub meet up next week and only 5 of the 28 people have said they are attending.

I don't know if there's anything I should be doing to encourage more meet ups or connections with these people. I know in London we are all so busy and life is stressful but I was hoping for more tbh. like, does no one else feel the same way I do?!

Thanks, I will check this out!

I did the bus classes with ds1. We didn't meet up as a group afterwards but I did stay in touch with a lot of them individually and some of us went to the same baby groups. Still chat on facebook with some of them and the "babies" are 17 now.

Nhs classes that should say, I didn't go to antenatal classes on a bus!

Concentrate on the people who show up F2F and wait til the babies are born. You'll have a lot to talk about then, and friendships will follow.

My NCT class (and pregnancy yoga) didn’t really bond until babies were born.
mine was the first, so I sent round an announcement, and then connected again once the next one came along. Then set up a social (but there were only a few of us). You get out what you put in. I’d also set up a group with only mums, and then once some are coming more regularly, a separate group for those. You’ll also make other friends if you go to baby classes, coffee mornings etc

I’ve made lovely friends on peanut, it’s much easier because you can have a 1-1 chat before arranging to meet or the conversation just peters out if you don’t gel. My NCT group is nice but there’s not as much time to get to know people so I don’t think there’ll be loads of contact when we all give birth and equally some of them live in the next town so unlikely to bump into them