Did you attend an ante natal group when pregnant with your 1st child?

[moomin35]

Just wondering what peoples experiences with these were...Does anyone just turn up to these even if they haven't yet had their first baby? I am tempted to go but feel silly just turning up without a baby in tow! How many weeks along would you consider going to one if at all? Did you go on your own?

I did attend- no-one had a baby- yet.

I didn't find them particulary useful. I did attend ante natal yoga and did an active birth workshop both of which were really great.

If it is an ante natal group then it is FOR women who have not yet had their babies surely?

In my area a couple of the doctors surgeries clubbed together and provided ante-natal classes. There was a choice of women only or couples. The couples session was over 4 weeks and the women only was one entire day. We actually did both but I found the women only group amazing (at the couples session people tended to interact mainly with their other half) and met some wonderful ladies there who kept me sane throughout my maternity leave and kindly had their second babies just as I had mine so we could do it all again (slightly more frazzled with a toddler in tow).

I went on my own to the class when I was about 33 weeks along, as did most people and made an effort to talk to people (does not come naturally to me with strangers) and to go along to the meet up afterwards. I found that by the time the babies were born and I was attending mother and baby clubs etc most people were going with friends that they had met through ante-natal classes/clubs so it would be IMO harder to make friends after the baby was born unless you are confident enough to talk to groups of people who already know each other.

Go for it. My ante-natal group really contributed to whole experience of pregnancy and early motherhood.