My last two pg I finished work at 37.5 weeks. My second pg I could have definitely worked a bit longer as had more energy than in the first (my hb was higher but my job was also slightly less busy).
This time it is looking like I will go on mat leave asap ie at 29w due to DH's new job which he starts in Oct. He will have a long commute until we move, and I feel I will struggle to work AND do all the domestic stuff during the week. Also I feel bad that I will be leaving my team in the lurch so want them to be able to recruit a replacement asap. Still undecided about whether I will go back to (NHS) work or not. I need to decide in a few weeks as it has implications for my mat pay.
We did NCT first time around. There was an emphasis on natural birth however we also talked about ALL the drugs, and c sections. I know the other NCT teacher in my area is anti drugs and anti c sections (yes, really!) so we were lucky. My group is still in contact although we all work different days so don't see each other as much as we did during mat leave.
If we manage to move house in the next couple of months I'm considering doing NCT in the new area. Both to meet people but to also help me get in the birth mindset. I found with my second birth I was so busy in the lead up I didn't give much thought to the birth, and maybe I should have. The NHS classes around here aren't great for forging new friendships, however there are numerous baby groups which provide the opportunity to meet new mums. The only thing I found though was all the NCT mums seemed to stick together in some of the groups, so it was hard to make inroads.