Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

NCT Classes

26 replies

Sunshine28 · 07/09/2010 14:54

I am thinking of signing up for NCT classes. I don't yet know if there are NHS classes in my area but assume that the NCT classes are worth going to?

Also instead of taking place once per week over 8-10 weeks, they are held over three days - two Saturdays and a week night. Is this normal? I was hoping to do them over a long period of time............

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

yummytummy · 07/09/2010 15:01

hiya, personally i wouldnt bother, i did them last time and found them of no use. the group didnt gel and didnt stay in touch at all, and the teacher was crap didnt cover anything useful and seemed to think everyone would have a nice floaty 5 min gas and air birth. u may be better off with the nhs ones. also never heard of saturday ones i think most are weekly.

jennimoo · 07/09/2010 15:07

I found the nct class great, but the teacher was great and very balanced (i.e. Talked about the pros and cons of everything, not just saying "epidurals are bad!")

We also live quite near to the other couples, and there was quite a big group. I would suggest checking these two things as if there aren't many in your group or you are all too spread out, you might find you don't stay in touch afterwards.

flower1988 · 07/09/2010 15:10

We did exactly the same as you - 2 Saturdays and one weekday evening. I think they were worthwhile - we met some lovely people and learnt lots .... obviously some of it we knew already, but in general it was really good. x

splashy · 07/09/2010 15:14

I did both nhs and nct classes. Found the nhs more useful in terms of content than nct as nhs was run by midwives, however I think the main reason to do the nct ones is for the social reason.

Nct classes do have a particular subset of mums I think - older, proffesional women, but I think everyone gets on well and will stay friends. As a younger mum I was quite surprised though that a lot of them are old enough to be my mum.

flower1988 · 07/09/2010 15:20

Maybe I've had a really good experience but I'm only 22 and even though some of the other mum's-to-be are older than me it hasn't stopped us all being friends at all!

allyfe · 07/09/2010 15:25

I thought they were fantastic, but that is because 18 months after our babies were born, we all still meet up reasonably regularly (working hours allowing), both as individuals and as a group.

The woman running them was a little nutty, but actually I was surprised that I came away informed as well as with a group of contacts. But I didn't do the NHS ones. Ours were something like 3 women only day sessions and two or three couples evening sessions. This actually worked well because the teacher gave us loads of time to get to know each other and chat.

Saying that, I would probably fall under splashy's description of the subset of mums. I'm an older (by baby standards) professional. Of the mums to be in our group, 29 was the youngest and 35 the oldest, but a friend of mine did them and was 31 at the time and was the youngest by 10 years (but with the oldest OH). She is also still in touch with her NCT friends - they had their joint 5th birthday celebration in January. Her group were spread out over a bigger area (45 min - 1hour walk distance).

Saying that, I think there is an element of luck involved in terms of the teacher and the group. But I'd go for it (and book up soon - in some areas they are full once the mums-to-be get to 16 weeks).

Good luck!

Original poster

Sunshine28 · 07/09/2010 15:26

Thanks all. I think I will try to do both. One of the main reasons for doing them (besides prep for the birth) is to meet people, so I guess this will double my chances :)

One more question - do I find out about the NHS ones from my midwife? Do I need to sign up for them far in advance?

OP posts:

japhrimel · 07/09/2010 15:27

We had a choice of having the classes spread out over mostly evening sessions, or concentrated into 1 long weekend. We went for the spread out classes.

One the NCT Group leaders near us (we go to the Working Bumps group) recommended asking for info on epidurals, C-sections, etc if you don't feel it's been covered in enough detail.

lainey1981 · 07/09/2010 15:30

I tried to sign up for the NCT classes in my area, but kept being offered courses other than ones I applied for (tues & fri weekdays for example) which would have meant my DP couldn't come with me. In the end I have decided that because i will be moving from London 5 months after LO arrives, to do NHS classes but to go to NCT drop in coffee morning etc (think they are called Bumps n Babes IIRC), this way i hopefully still get to make friends with babies, and don't have to part with £300.

Has anyone got any experience of meeting mums/mums to be using the drop in sessions at NCT - am i likely to find it a bit cliquey if i haven't met them through the classes? I am quite shy but was planning on forcing myself to go once my maternity leave starts to meet some people eek!

OP perhaps NHS classes combined with drop in sessions might work for you too?

smoggii · 07/09/2010 15:35

I was thinking of doing them and have heard very mixed reviews. Consequently I've decided to use the £180 to spend on more important things for the baby and just do the NHS ones.
If i had more money I probably would do them. We don't qualify for the discounts but would find it hard to meet the full rate.
The NHS ones have an advantage if you are planning a hospital birth in that they take place in the hospital and are run by the midwives likely to attend the birth.
I'm also a bit scared that the NCT seems a little bit militant.

BikeRunSki · 07/09/2010 15:38

My DS is 2 today. I still see my NCT girls about once a fortnight, and it is fabulous knowing people with children the same age as mine. I don't live walking distance to any one them, but 10- 45 mins drive from all of them. The classes were also good preparation for childbirth - I was determined not to have a CS and ended up with an emergency one. The CS role play we had done meant that I did not freak out that there were 12 people in the theatre.

The way your classes are structured is normal. IT depends on your teacher's other commitments, as long as you get 16 (i think it is 16) hours. I think they like to get a full day in too.

I also went to NHS classes, but since I am rural and "out of area" for the hospital, I have never seen any of them again - difficult to gel in a day. All the NHS class ladies were lots yoinger than me, but I am a typical NCT older professional first time mum.

donteatthat · 07/09/2010 15:42

I would definitely recommend doing NCT classes if you want to meet other mummies in your local area with babies the same age as yours. I did them and it was the best money I ever spent! My son is now 2 and a half and I still see my NCT friends at least once a week and would be miserable without them!

Our classes were over a few weeks but if they don't do that in your area just go for what they offer. A friend just did one or two weekends but still made good friends.

For me it was more about meeting people than the advice given, I found that they were a bit scaremongering about having an emergency c-section which was a shame as half of us ended up having one - it would have been better if they'd been more positive about it as at the end of the day it's not really your choice! However, aside from that it was worth it. I did the NHS classes too - think midwife gave me details for that, can't remember now - that was good to give you an idea of what to expect for the birth and might be a good way to meet people although I didn't keep in touch with anyone from my class.

Good luck!

splashy · 07/09/2010 15:52

Flower I think we will all stay friends despite the age gap. Not saying its a barrier, just that I was surprised there wasn't even one other 'younger' mum (and by younger I'm think less than 30)

Op your midwife should tell you about the nhs classes at your antenatal appointments, if they haven't yet just ask or give them a ring. I had ther number to book them on the front of my notes.

Agree that nct classes are pricey, but if you are on a low income you are entitled to up to 90 percent off.

japhrimel · 07/09/2010 16:19

lainey1981 - I find the Working Bumps group near us really friendly. Has your local branch got Working Bumps (evening meet-ups primarily for people expecting their 1st and still working) or just Bumps & Babes?

Dreemagurl · 07/09/2010 16:23

Hi, I was the same as you and ummed and aahed about doing the NCT classes. Decided to go for it, and my midwife managed to get me a slight discount and a payment plan where I only had to make 3 oayments of £25 beforehand which was really helpful. We found them useful - but I think more for my DP as he hadn't spent as much time as me avidly Googling (and Mumsnetting!) everything pregnancy-related. It was also good for him to meet other dads-to-be in the same boat. Our classes were 2 full-day ones a week apart, 2 evening breastfeeding ones and a Saturday morning. The breastfeeding ones were reasonably helpful except that the breastfeeding counsellor clearly had certain "rules" about what they could and couldn't teach us - nearly every question I asked was met with "we have a handout on that" or "ask me after the class" which I found quite frustrating. The main classes were great though with a fab teacher who - contrary to a lot of belief about NCT - wasn't strongly advocating no pain relief, and just gave us a lot of information about the different kinds available. I would recommend them - but agree with allyfe that there is a bit of potluck involved with the teacher you receive - I guess just like midwives!

ecuse · 07/09/2010 16:30

I don't know very much about it at all, but I've always been a bit scared of NCT. Not sure if that's justified or not, but my impression of them is a bit militant and a bit patronising. For which reason (and the cost) I was just planning to do NHS ones.

loueytbg · 07/09/2010 16:34

I would say if you can afford the NCT ones I would go for it. You have nothing to lose (apart from the money obviously). You may however gain a close group of friends with DCs the same age. My DTs are 3.5 - I meet up with 2 of my NCT group almost every week. We regularly have evenings out and several are onto their 2nd DC. None of us live particularly close - the nearest is a 10 min drive away but that hasn't stopped us. We have done swimming lessons together, signing together and birthday parties.

My step-sister on the other hand did not really gel with her group - which may be due to the fact that she went back to work at 6 months.

smoggii · 07/09/2010 17:30

I understand that you can get 90% discount if your are on a low income, However I don't quite meet the low income threshold but i'm not high income either so it's tough for us to meet the cost.

pinkpeony · 07/09/2010 18:01

In my area the classes were concentrated into 2 full days - one Saturday and one weekday. Didn't find them too helpful - my teacher was super-biased (epidurals bad, c-sections bad, managed 3rd stage bad, bottle-feeding bad) and didn't cover stuff like breathing techniques during birth. DH found them moderately helpful as he was completely clueless before the class (so things like passing around a newborn-sized doll to show people how to hold a newborn were useful for him). Our group didn't gel either - met up a few times before babies were born and then lost touch.

saoirse86 · 07/09/2010 18:29

I only did the NHS classes. TBH it was mainly because the NCT classes were at least 2 saturdays and one weekday but my partner and I work on Saturdays and there's no way we could both have a saturday off together. The classes are also very expensive and there were none that near to me despite living in Birmingham.
We both found the NHS classes really useful although we didn't keep in touch with any of the other couples. The midwife who took the class wasn't biased at all and was really helpful and didn't mind answering everyone's questions.
If you can afford the classes and have the time then definitely go to both, there's no harm in it.

Honeybee79 · 07/09/2010 18:42

We are doing an NCT intensive course, which consists of 2 saturdays. We did the first one last weekend and have the next one this saturday. I have to say that the teacher isn't brilliant but my husband found the first one useful as he basically knows nothing about childbirth, but the other people are very nice and I did the classes to meet other new mums in my area so that I don't feel isolated after the birth (I don't cope with being at home all day very well!).

Even if you don't do the classes you can still join the NCT and so benefit from local social meets and other events in your area.

SparkyMalarky · 07/09/2010 18:48

I loved my NCT classes - our kids are nearly 5 and I still see some of my class mates every week - our kids are in school together and a couple of them are some of my best friends.

I did the nhs and the nct classes and they were both equally good on the labour, but my nct class also looked at the impact on your relationship with your partner and how becoming a family might change it which was very helpful. Our teacher was brilliant however and I know that not everyone has fhe same experience.

For the friends alone though, it was the best £200 I ever spent.

anonymousbird · 07/09/2010 18:53

I liked my NCT classes, but that was more about being with some really nice couples (4 of whom are still very good friends 6 years later). Our teacher was a dragon and took it and herself far too seriously. Not that giving birth isn't serious, but she went WAY OTT on so much IYSWIM.

But we learnt a bit I suppose, had some fun along the way and made great great friends who I have shared everything with over the years... worth it for that alone.

That was doing 8 evenings, rather than the crash course in a weekend (or two).

On balance, probably do it.

MrsDinky · 07/09/2010 18:58

Mine was the best £200 or whatever I ever spent too, in terms of friendships, 6.5 years later we still all see each other pretty well every week. Definitely (in our area anyway) tends to be the older, professional demographic.

Content wise not much difference from NHS from what I remember and teacher was a bit pro-natural everything to my mind.

lainey1981 · 07/09/2010 19:01

japhrimel my local branch is southwark/lambeth and as far as I can see from NCt site think they just do bumps n babes on a Monday afternoon 12-2

Flip

1 2