What was your NCT experience?

[nctandme]

Hi everyone - my eldest child will be getting married next year, on the guest list will be some of the NCT parents who have become lifelong friends and it got me thinking. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of parents have been part of an NCT group, and as we approach the 70th anniversary of the NCT, I’d love to gather stories from mums and dads about their experiences, whether you were in a group last year or like me, 25 plus years ago!

I’d love to hear from you: What was the age range in your group? Do you still meet up or keep in touch? What made your NCT experience meaningful, or perhaps it wasn’t what you expected? Whether your group has stayed close or you’ve moved in different directions, your story is valuable!

If you'd like to contribute, please feel free to share your experience by emailing me at [email protected]. I now live in the USA and no such club exists. The NCT was so valuable to me and I would love to hear from others.

( Please note: This project is independent of the NCT itself. )

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Elaine

My group was nice on the surface but I didn’t really gel with any of the others. The only thing we had in common was having the babies at the same time.
Some of the others formed a friendship (both new to the area) so I guess it worked for them.
The actual course content was rubbish.

35+years ago very white middle class couples all married. My partner and I weren’t married so we just didn’t fit in at all.

My group were ok at first but became very off with me/were not very friendly...I think they set up a separate WhatsApp group as they message very infrequently now

Never gelled with anyone. Really the only thing you have in common is being pregnant at the same time.

Also they are disgusting in how they handle infant feeding and dismiss formula feeding. All mums should be treated equally and supported, regardless of their feeding choices. I was given factually inaccurate information about formula feeding by the “expert” (LOL!) who ran that session. Awful woman who made one of the other mums feel terrible for struggling to breastfeed just days after giving birth. Biggest waste of money from my perspective, though I’ve heard others have had better experiences in terms of the social side. Personally I’d recommend one of the more modern and inclusive antenatal groups over NCT to anyone who asked.

It's been 13 years I'm still very close to one mum and see another occasionally.

However they deffo contributed massively to my PND made me feel like a failure for having a ceserean. For being unable to BF, baby in NICU. Actually think they're a cult.

What a lovely idea. We were very fortunate with our NCT group. Eight couples and all still in touch five years later and do a big party each year to celebrate the birthdays. I think it’s what you make it

Nothing positive from me sorry. I never went to the pregnancy classes but I called the NCT breastfeeding "helpline" when I was struggling with expressing after I returned to work after my first baby. The counsellor told me that unless I recognised the harm I was doing to my baby by returning to work and was willing to give it up there was nothing she could do to help me. I called the Breastfeeding Network instead, got some actual practical advice and fed my DC for 3 years more.
When I had my second we'd moved to a new area and I had no friends with babies so I decided to join the nearest breastfeeding support group which was an NCT one. I was a bit apprehensive but decided I shouldn't judge the organisation on one bad encounter so went along.I didn't need any help, just wanted to make some local friends and thought I might be able to help support others. Everyone was really nice initially but again, once I mentioned my job and that I'd be returning to it the atmosphere changed instantly. I went back a couple of times and was basically ostracised by everyone including the leader so I gave up.
I've got several friends and relatives who have had similar experiences in different parts of the country so I don't think my experience is a one off. I'm sure it's great if your face fits, but if it doesn't, forget it.

The first few responses 😂😂😂

I did nct classes in 2008. I was the eldest at 37, the youngest was 25. 7 couples and 1 single mum. All white, professionals.

I liked the course content, it was not overly "natural" and the c section role play came in useful when I had one a few weeks later.

I made friends for a couple of years... but they were transient. It was brilliant to know people going through the same changing event as us at the same time, but once we started to go back to work, the "true" long lasting friendships were exposed. We couldn't keep up with their lifestyles / expenditure, as I'd gone back to work part time.... and gradually we drifted apart, no animosity. This was aggravated by our babies being across two school years From time to time I'll run into one or two couples at a child (teen!) event.

To be honest I found my tribe at our local Surestart Centre. One of those mums is one of my very best friends, and my second child's godmother.

It’s been brilliant. Some of the course content was questionable but overall it was very balanced and everyone was planning to return to work etc, I don’t recognise that at all. Love the friends we made there, would have happily done a different course though as I’ve always been a fan of modern medicine 😂

Loved it. Still friends 18 years later and catch up every few months. We moved away but still meet up and travel to see everyone.
The lady taking the classes was nice but she kept saying try to keep the pain relief to a minimum and let your body experience child birth. It gives off natural pain relief hormones, etc. I didn't know what to expect as this was my first pregnancy.
No it bloody didn't. After 35 hours in Labour with my 1st baby, I had every drug given to me.
With my other pregnancies, they were so different and quick.