to expect to get SOMETHING out of my NCT membership?

[champagnesupernova]

I am a new mum (My PFB DS is 9 weeks old) and we moved house (out of London) when DS was just a month old.

I tried to enrol in NCT antenatal classes before I moved (in old area) but the classes were full. Had to find alternative AN classes.

Once I knew where we were moving I emailed two local NCT reps (in new area) to let them know that I'm a new mum looking for postnatal groups but haven't heard back from them.

I know that these posts are probably voluntary but I feel really let down. Everyone has raved about how the friends they met through NCT were the best ever but I must say, I just feel like I want my money back.

AIBU? Any other advice you can share?

Once you get the newsletter you'll be able to see for yourself what's going on and where.

(Do they still do newsletters?)

Have you got phone numbers? I would give them a call rather than email. The reps are volunteers and mostly busy mums, so often emails can go unanswered - not good I know, but that's the way it seems to be.

Also, have you let the NCT headoffice know you have moved? Their admin is appalling so they might not have notified your new branch and you won't get a newsletter.

Don't give up! Hopefuly you'll be able to make some great friendships.

phone the secretary for the local branch and say hi. your emails might have ended up in a spam box and as you say it is purely run by volunteers.

the classes always get bookd up , there is so much demand

sorry you feel so let down, the coffee mornings and other get togethers are usually really good

Never did NCT and like you felt that I was missing out on some secret cult that would give me the answer to breastfeeding, sleeping and inane boredom...

Good luck, now they are both at school there is a group of 4 NCT mums in my youngests class. You really don't have a chance !

Keep trying think it might be worth it..

I didn't get much out of the NCT but my health visitor organised a postnatal group and that's how I met most of my friends. Why don't you give yours a call? Or just turn up to one of those baby weighing get together thingies?

I'm with castles on this. I really didn't get anything out of NCT, it was a total waste of time and money for me. Although I know a lot of people (including my friends) rave about it.

I did the NHS ante natal classes as well though and they were excellent, and like castles I did NHS post natal group which is where I met a great group of people who are all my "baby-friends" now.

God I'm going to be shot down for this, but..

Becoming a member of the NCT isn't really about what you can gain, after all it is a Trust. Do you expect anything back when you give to charity?

However saying that, the majority of your subscription will go towards their campaigning and input into legislation - something every birthing mother benefits from.

Oh, and you don't have to be a member to go along to their events or coffee mornings.

However, despite my ramblings above, that doesn't excuse no one getting back to you.

Message withdrawn

Iliketomoveit You're right - I shouldn't EXPECT.

I'm just because having moved to a new area, I was all up for getting involved and helping out, but since I've not heard ANYTHING I'm just feeling a bit depressed about it.

You're also right about phoning. I'll try that.
Sorry for moaning.

Some branches of the NCT are more efficient that others. I hope you can find out about a local meet up soon.

Because I went to NCT antenatal groups with DS1, I made some friends, but as I had DS2 much later than the rest of the class has thier 2nd DC, I found the coffees hard, s I didn't really know anyone. The best way to meet people through the NCT, apart from AN classes if to volunteer.

champagne - emailing is probably the least likely and least efficient way of getting volunteer mums to involve you. The email address you used might be out of date; it could have gone into spam; it could have been overlooked; they might be on holiday; they might have swapped notes and thought the other one of them was responding and they weren't....

NCT is a charity, and the social side of putting mothers in touch with each other is only a part of what your membership is used for, but of course you should be put in touch with your local groups. Good to read you are planning to phone.

If you joined the National Trust, you would expcet something back - free entry for example. YANBU, campagnesupernover (but you have to make sure they know you exist)

Its probably a mixture of a few things...

Head Office Admin can be very very slow, or non-existant (they insisted for a year I wasn;t a member, but still sent me magazines and everything...) so it may be that your new branch simply don't know about you...

It may also be that you have moved to an area where the branch simply isn't very active. Branches wax and wane depending on who the Chair is, who the local committee are, who your reps are...whilst it is a National Charity, each Branch organises itself locally, and it may just be that you have stumbled upon a fairly quiet branch.

Have a look on the website - www.nct.org.uk and put in your postcode to find out what is on in your area - there should at least on there be some local email address and phone numbers - normally if you email offering to help out at a Nearly New sale or offering to host a Coffee, then you'll get a reply because they have people who want to be involved and do something...They may have a Bumps and Babies group locally to you to go along to - thats a great place to meet people. If they don't have a Bumps and Babies I suspect they might indeed be a quiet branch....

Most branches that I have had experience of won't come to you - a huge % of people join the NCT through the ante-natal classes by do nothing with their membership, and don't actually WANT to be contacted to get involved, so a lot of branches are reluctant to come to you having been stung in the past. However they are legally obliged to contact all their local members 4 times a year, and most branches do that throguh their newsletter. If you don't receive a newsletter I'd definately take it that head office haven't passed on your details.

Basically, they won't come to you to get you involved....whilst its really hard with a 9 week old, you might need to grit your teeth and somehow make a big "here I am" statement.

You weren't moaning, well maybe just a little

Get on the phone and get yourself known. The first intro I had to my local branch was pretty poor as the membership secretary at the time was shocking, however once I got my foot in the door! I met a bunch of great and diverse people.

A good way to getting involved is to go along to their committee meetings, they are open to everyone. If you fancy doing that, give the Chair or host a ring before you go so they expect you and you don't feel such a lemon!

My NCT coffee group folded because all the mums had children the same age (a year older than my daughter) and they all started preschool at the same time and there was no-one to take their place, and I couldn't run a group all by myself and recruit new members! So I had to look elsewhere.

But there are mum & toddler groups run by churches, etc everywhere and I found these a good way of meeting people.

There is nothing to stop you going to a toddler group with a new baby, it just means that by the time he/she becomes a toddler you will know lots of people there! Visit childcarelink.gov.uk or ask your health visitor for a list of groups in your area.

As a PS to the last post, I would like to add that I did do an NCT antenatal class, and though I found the birth preparation and teaching good, I didn't make any long lasting friends. The others seemed a bit cliquey and they all had much bigger houses than me, and they were in places I couldn't easily get to without a car. I did make a lot of effort to get to the meet-ups and a few people did give me lifts, but somehow I just didn't hit it off with anybody.

I know a lot of people make friends through the NCT but it isn't guaranteed.

The coffee group though was great while it lasted.

I also made quite a lot of friends through the toddler group I joined when my daugher was 9 months old and I wish I'd joined that first.

You'll probably get more support and info off MN to be honest. What about a mother and baby in your local area. Where I live, they just all seemed to be a bit Hoypaloy IYSWIM. Maybe I was a tad common for me new post tots

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