Attending NHS ante natal classes - Will it make a difference to birth?

[SweetFudge]

I was told by the midwife at my 18th week antenatal check-up that I should only call and book for the NHS antenatal classes around my 30th week.

Roll on 30th week and I called today. I was informed that all classes are full, have been for months and that the midwives have had to turn a lot of couples away. Apart from feeling bloody cross about the information given at 18th week appointment, will it matter significantly that I wouldn't have had the benefit of the classes when I go into labour?

We can't really afford the NCT classes for this first birth and I have been reading up on labour, birth, pain relief from the net and books.

Is it at the hospital itself? I would try and kick up a fuss. Nothing better than an emotional pregnant woman to get things changed. If they are fully booked then the NHS must arrange more. Don't know how hugely helpful mine were admittedly, but still beneficial imo. I hope you get something sorted.

I found the main benifit was visiting the hospital but midwife should be able to arrange this anyway. Plus they diagnosed The pelvic pain thing here and issued my big bandage.

Midwife should go through everything anyway, make sure partner goes to as many appointments as possible especially when going through birht plan.

I went to couple classes in an other area, but maybe I should have gone to the local mums only ones so I could have met a few local mums to be.

I didn't learn anything in mine that I didn't already know from reading books to be honest. We didn't even get shown around the maternity unit you had to ring up and book for that separatley. Mine were a complete waste of time. Am interested to find out how other peoples were and if they helped.

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No it won't make a huge impact on your birth, but it will empower you with knowledge which will help you stand up for yourself if you don't agree with the midwife. It will make you feel more confident like you know what to expect (haha). And you may learn how your individual hospital works.

And lastly it is your right and youshould stamp your feet until you get a place!

If they too many people for the classes then they need to set up another class or increase the numbers.

I will certainly be kicking up a fuss at my next appointment and I'll check up on the subsidised NCT classes as well.

Skribble, some of the June mothers waiting with me at the last appointment have said that the labour and post natal ward tour was very useful as well - if only because it meant they were ALL now going to stock up on dettol sprays and wet wipes to take in with them. Seems the bathtubs they saw were scummy or bloody and the toilets were in no better state.

At least I'm down on the list for a waterbirth workshop. If I lose my place on this workshop, I'm going to wheel a trolley's worth of maltesers into the labour ward and do a protest sit in.

re the dirt. My hosp was spotless. Hope they sort it out before you get there. If all those mums will be cleaning away, perhaps it will be fine...

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Yeah. I am to put it mildly, concerned about what the wards are going to be like. One of the June mothers was chatting to a friend in the postnatal ward when she saw an auxillary swirl a mop out of the loo straight onto the ward floor, pause to peer at something in a bedside bin, proceed to fish it out, give it a shake and place it on a cart of new disposable nappies. Turns out it was a new nappy that had been opened but hadn't been used.

It makes me angry. I'm not looking for pristine wards just adherence to basic hygiene standards and access to ante natal classes for new mothers.

I know how under resourced my hospital is for the area it covers and the care given at appointments so far has been good. But dammit.

Anyway, my chat with midwife at check-up tomorrow promises to be interesting.

Found mine frustrating and dull. Told me all the obvious in patronising flipchart type group work activities that were very embarrassingly tedious (would yawn and lose concentration all the time like a naughty child at the back of the class). All the things I really wanted to know - such as "how will I know when", "what should I really take into hospital", "where do I go?", "will my mw that I see at my appts be there?" etc. were all answerable by my mw during normal appts. or info got from places like mumsnet and friends.
One thing it can be useful for is that you meet others in the flesh who are in the same boat as you and many women have made lifelong friends this way. I didn?t, but know of several who did.
If you are still keen - try phoning again. Places often become available last minute as women have babies earlier than planned or choose not to take up their places. Otherwise NCT is worht a shot.

Sweetfudge, I'm just curious what hospital are you booked into? (I ask because I was told something similar- to call and book at 30 wks and now I'm wondering.)

In all honesty I am having difficulty finding a NCT class, and I'm at 18 weeks. I've had great difficulty getting in touch with NCT, as they are staffed by mostly volunteers I guess they are stretched a bit thin. People have mixed reviews about the NCT classes (there is another thread on it as I had similar concerns to you) but people who like it seems to be very happy. They are expensive though (depending on where you live) some areas seem to offer more financial aid than others.

What someone suggested to me is find a couple of mentors to talk you through what to expect and give some useful tips. Along that line, this forum is quickly becoming my 'prep class'.

I'm also thinking of trying to find a yoga instructor who specializes in the breathing thing, and reading everything I can get my hands on.

That is a shame that you got turned away from hospital classes!!! The advice below about making a fuss and calling about cancellation sound good.

Agreed - the most useful bit of my classes was the trip round the unit which you can arrange separately (although if I'd had seen the wards in the state some of your friends have described I would just be demanding a home birth I suspect! Ours looked very nice and clean I am pleased to say).

Our midwives are very hot on massage in labour (couldn't tell you how effective this is as I am still waiting to go into labour!) but if yours have something similar they will probably let you sneak into that bit.

Best of luck.

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I'll be giving birth at North Middlesex, Bebejam. Where are you at?

I discussed having a homebirth at my first appointment and N. Mid's policy is no homebirths for first timers. I pushed again for one recently with midwives and with my gp as well as I'm having a low risk pregnancy but they are firm on the no first timers rule. Did do the research on right to homebirth and it isn't necessarily the case that a local health authority has to provide a home birth service. Would have had to go in guns balzing on this one and frankly, am fine with hospital birth for first one.

I have a cousin who is a midwife and a mother but have given up on asking her about birth since her responses to Qs such as "What sort of pain is labour?" Ans: Like moderate period cramps. Wot? Not from what I've seen on discovery health and desperate midwives!

Like Bebejam, I'm finding mumsnetters' experiences a Godsend as well. Long live mumsnet!

It turned out my tour was a waste anyway, there are two wards the midwifery and the medical.

The midwifery side is lovely pine beds and cots on-suite rooms, a couple with birth pools, the basic equipment that is there is all behind cupboard doors. It really is the next best thing to home. Of course I opted for this as if there are any complications you are right next to the medical side and theatres.

My midwife hadn't considered telling me that due to underlying condition I was going to be whipped straight into medical side while the hospital midwife laughed that I wanted to go into the midwifery ward. "don't be silly" she said. So instead of pine beds and pools I had a black platform type bed, every piece of equipment you could imagine and 5 medical staff discusing my unusual condition.

Well I will just anwer the question with NO
I believe they have stats that actually demonstrate that statistically their "students" do not do better than the national averages in birth outcomes. This I was told by 2 NCT teachers with whom I was discussing this very issue.
Most of my clients are NCT attendees and I can't think of one who didn't have the easiest birth of her class... it's much more than attending the class or reading.... and the more I do this job the more convinced I am.

Oops I read this to be NCT classes... (sorry ben at a birth and have not slept for 30 hours )

i wouldn't worry too much about nhs classes, it sounds to me that you have done a lot of reading and research on the subject of birth anyway and if you have watched the birthing programmes on sky you probably won't see anything new at the classes anyway!
i would ring the number for the classes and ask for them to arrange a tour, alternativley you could ring the postnatal ward and ask if someone could arrange a tour for you as the class/tour is fully booked. most hospitals are helpful in doing this. they often get student midwives to take you on a tour and answer any questions for you. (we do receive a fair bit of training before our placements and many of us our mothers as well) and if we don't know the answer we will find out for you.
imo birth is about keeping an open mind and going with the flow, all births are different and you cannot tell in advance what you are going to require. with my first i swore blind that i was going to do it naturally, but the first proper contractions and internal had me crying for an epidural, however my friend who said that she was going to have it all, laboured quietly at home went into hospital to find she was 9cms!! all this with only 2 paracetomol!

sweetfudge... haven't read the whole thread, so may be repeating others here.

I couldn't go to my NHS classes, as they only do them during the day... and i was working!
also didn't want to pay out for NCT ones.

TBH i read a LOT online and from books, and was very well prepared for labour. The birth was fine, and any queries i had beforehand i talked about with my midwife.

The only reason i regret not going now is because I think i'd have made some friends who were having babies at around the same time.

Hi SweetFudge. My classes were organised by the GP's surgery and run by the Health Visitor. Might be worth enquiring at yours. I'm not sure though that I actually learnt anything that was of any help. Pretending to breast feed a purple raggy doll was very different from the real thing, as was watching a knitted placenta being pulled through a model vagina! What I did get from them though was a group of friends that were and still are an invaluable support.

LOL Surfermum! Knitted placentas and having to bf a raggedy doll. I'll go on the suggestions to ring up and arrange for a tour.

Same thing with the making friends at classes thing, Starlover. It was partly why I wanted to attend to see if there were friends to be made with other new mothers.

I really like chatting to the women at my antenatal appointments. Everyone is so different and it is great to compare notes and not feel like the odd one out amongst the growing bumps.

I'm the first pregnant one amongst my girlfriends and after a while, you kind of feel like the Goodyear blimp rotating around non-pregnant girlfriends.

I learned everything from magazines.

Hi Sweetfudge,

I'm booked at St. Mary's Paddington and I took a tour of the labor ward there last week... and it did a lot to assuade my fears.

I was completely freaking out about stories I'd heard about filthy wards and nasty midwives... but I've got to say every midwife, even the receptionists, have been extremely lovely there and the ward was very clean. I even snuck away from the tour to inspect a shower room (who knows, maybe they are like me and run around and tidy up when they know folks are coming over for a look around)

I'm planning to go on another tour closer to my due date, I did get lots of information.

I'm also thinking of spending the money I would have spent on NCT classes on a birth doula.

I would like to take classes if for no other reason than to shake this "I've no idea what I'm doing, what have I got myself into" feeling that sometimes wakes me up at night. But the support available here from the other mumsnetters is fantastic, and everyday I feel a litle more confident.

bebejam I did their antinatalclasses at St Mary's and they empowered me a little more and were free. We all sat down at the beginning and the midwife went around and asked us what we would specifically like to know. Then mixed our specific needs as a class into the other things she thought that we should know.
I did learn a ton from mumsnet and you will have support from your doula. I didn't really make any 'friends' as I didn't seem to live that close to the people who were in my class but if you can get into a class 4 evenings aren't a lot of your time to just go.

No one told me that I had to book my appts, despite it being my first baby from an uncomplicated preg, my 1st daughter was still born at 26 weeks. I asked my MW about them in passing at around 33 weeks, something along the lines of 'Shouldn't ParentCraft have started by now?', and was promptly told that I should have already booked them and it was too late . How the f was I supposed to know ?!

Anyway ended up not attending any ante-natal classes and my birth was absolutely perfect. 3 hours, no pain relief, small tear, not stitches, great APGARs.

I have to say that I was addicted to Discovery Health all htrough my preg ! I suppose that acted as a kind of tv ante-natal class