Ante natal classes

[firsttimer84]

Hi everyone, I'm having my first baby, due September. The midwife told me about the NCT classes way back when I had my first appointment and said you didn't have to go to them. I've looked at the classes information and they all seem to be labour based and all the different methods of managing pain.

However I'm unlikely to go into labour as I'm type 1 diabetic and if I haven't had my baby by 38 weeks I'll have a ELC. (I've said no to induction as a high percentage fail anyway and end up in EMC.

So basically I'm asking, do I really need to go to these classes? I'm not naive and I do a lot of research (hence the decision re induction) so I know about the pain relief methods and the stages of labour and the epidural injection for the C section etc etc. I'm not freaking out about the birth or anything and one of my friends is a midwife (fount of knowledge at the end of the phone!) Also I've 3 close friends who've given birth this year.

I don't want to be stupid though and miss some vital information I didn't know, I didn't know!

What do you think?

No, don't think you're being stupid. The NCT classes are quite expensive so I've chosen not to go to them. So I only get the 1 NHS class on Labour/Birth (and another on breastfeeding). From what I've gathered from friends and MN, NCT seem to provide a good support network and opportunity to meet new friends as much as anything. But just for info, sounds like you have it covered. You should check whether NHS offer a class though? Might as well go to a one-off if it's free?

I never went to NCT classes, but I did attend the hospital ante-natal classes. They told us about the different forms of pain relief, discussed pre eclampsia (mainly due to the fct one of the ladies had this in her previous pregnancy), they didn't discuss in any detail what can go wrong and in my case they didn't discuss what went wrong with me even being possible so I was totally unprepared even after attending the classes. They took us on a tour od the delivery suite and post natal ward, adn discussed breast and bottle feeding.
However I can't tell you if it is the same at every class so your local class might discuss more or less.

I had 3 evening classes on the NHS one, but that was over 4 years ago so might have changed now.

Thanks. I thought the NCT ones were the NHS ones. I'll have to ask my midwife about them next time I see her.

I personally went to a similar course to the one that the NCT run, and for me it was nothing to do with getting information (there is so much in books and online these days that I think that element of the class is a bit defunct) but everything about meeting a group of women due to have their babies around the same time as me and who would therefore be on maternity leave with me. I have no family close and all my friends work full time, and I can't even begin to explain how important it is to have a network of people who understand what you are going through and who won't judge you when you are working through those early months with a new baby.

As far as I know the NHS ones are run in much bigger groups and you are much less likely to see these people again, whereas the NCT or similar are smaller groups and you are encouraged to have coffee mornings at each others houses etc even before the babys arrive so you can build friendships.

So I would say it depends on your own circumstance and networks of friends and family as to whether you would find the money worth paying. For me invaluable.