Antenatal classes- NCT, NHS or not just speak to friends?

[cherrypieplum]

I'm wondering whether or not it's worth going to antenatal classes? For a start there isn't much in my local area (that I can find) and I don't know if it's worth forking out the NCT money?

Honestly I didn't learn that much from my NCT classes done lots of reading before hand however it was a brilliant way to 'facilitate' meeting soon to be mummies in my area. The support they have given me and are still giving me is priceless.

I decided not to do NCT classes when I found out that they cost £340. I talked to various friends and people at work and the general opinion was that you're just as likely to make friends after the baby's born, through baby yoga/swimming/etc. I also found out that the NCT runs coffee mornings once a month just down the road where you can just turn up, and presumably meet the same people you would have met on the course. I may regret this once the baby arrives in a couple of months, but I do feel like the NCT plays on your insecurities a bit, adn makes you feel that without splashing out on their courses you'll be cast adrift in some sort of social wilderness where you'll be miserable and lonely and you'll be a Bad Parent.
I've been to 2/3 classes run by the hospital and found them reassuring and informative. Weirdly the only person I've made friends with from these classes was on a day when the midwife failed to turn up for the class, so we went and had a coffee and a chat instead!

NCT prices vary - they are £130 round us. And if you can't find any info on NHS classes, ask the midwife at your next check up. There was no info online about NHS classes near us, but the midwife signed us up for them.

Lazy Daisy Birthing is so the way to go Mummies to be as they also have a Baby module after Birth!

www.thelazydaisychain.co.uk/

Weekly antenatal sessions cost just £9 per week (huge value when some hypnosis based programmes retail at £50 plus).

They offer weekly sessions aswell as couples workshops too.

I take it you're a Lazy Daisy teacher: kkey21?

Isn't it a yoga based course? Do you get couples coming or just mums?

Hi Sabire, no actually I'm not! But i do teach the baby side of Lazy Daisy in Hertfordshire.
Alot of people pop LD under the pregnancy yoga umbrella but it's a multi sensory birthing class with alot of purpose. There are weekly classes for Mum, aswell as couples workshops too.

Do you know how long the people who teach the couples work shops train for?

I've heard you can complete the training to be a LD teacher in six months. Part time.

That worries me a bit, given that midwives train for three years full time, and NCT takes about 2 to 3 years minimum part time. (and is university accredited).

But it's cheap, I'll give you that. Especially compared to NCT.

Sabire, training is approx 6 months, however training never ends as there are always days and weekends to attend to further and refresh. We are not a comparision to Midwives, no delivery of babies is necessary although always a possibility :-) Lazy Daisy work alongside any care and we are becoming very popular with midwives when our Mums are going to deliver and using the Daisy Birthing movement and relaxation.....Lazy Daisy is great value because we believe what we have to share should be available to everyone. Daisy Birthing is already taking place within some hospitals free of charge!

Daisy Birthing is also FEDANT approved and were very well recieved by Practical Parenting magazine 'How to experience a chilled out birth'
My own Mum is a Midwife, or Madwife as i like to refer to her as, but she wouldn't be 'qualified' to teach Lazy Daisy :-)

I however will be training later this year, i love it more than Green & Blacks!

Back to Babies for now..... Lovely cute babies. I am NOT broody! ;-)

kkey21

Hi there im in the process of looking at training with lazy daisy. Would it be ok if i ask you a few questions?

Firstly did you enjoy it? would you reccomend it?
I go to the gym 4 times a week but am by no means a stick insect yoga bunny! does this matter? I know its very yoga based!
How long do the courses take to complete?
And finally How much do they cost?

Thanks so much!

Megan (New to here but have a 20 month old little girl!)

when do lazydaisy AN classes start, and can DP come too?

I'm probably not going to bother this time. Ds is only 16 months and I remember them being borderline useless last time. I've read everything I need and will ask the midwife a couple of questions on policy in this area as we have moved, but that will do me.

I think that if you have good NHS classes, that's all you need, but my NHS classes were rubbish and the NCT ones were very very useful.

I didn't go to any antinatal classes as I didn't want to be scared witless and in this case I believed ignorance would be bliss. I was right, my first labout was fast, a water birth with entinox and no tearing. As for the social side, I went to a baby massage class and although talking to new moms was ok, it's not something I particularly yearn for.

I don't think I got a huge amount out of the NCT class I did. In hindsight I wish I'd done BabyCalm - labour is just a couple of days of your life, a toolbox for the next few months would have been much more useful IMO.

This is kkey21 under a new name, the thread is old but notice it has been added to!

MeganKate-feel free to email me and I will happily answer all your questions. I am now a fully qualified Birthing Mentor for Hertford and Ware. This thread is over a year old and lots has changed for me! I LOVE what I do and feel like I am really making a difference to many Mums Birth journeys. You can find my details on a Google search or the main webpage.

joiemecconue-My classes are up and running, and I do also offer a couples session as well as much more like newborn workshops and baby classes onwards.

It is so sad to hear that the NHS classes aren't proving to be popular, must be a time thing where the midwives are so stretched? Our classes are affordable to be able to reach many people. And we certainly do not show or discuss anything scary to put the fear in Mums before Labour Day, that would be completely contradicting to what we do offer.

I am passionate about what I do and really and genuinely enjoy being able to offer this to Mums.

I can't believe how bad some people's NHS classes are - it does sound like 'postcode lottery'.

We get four mornings here, and they are for couples. Father's obviously need to get off work to go (employers not legally obliged to allow it) but I think that sets a good precedent for my DH being a fully involved father which might mean taking time off work for emergency childcare.
Our four mornings are with the local MW team who have been referred to as 'quite hippy' :) so I am assuming we will get a good balance between medical and 'natural' information/guidance.

That's all that DH is doing, we have loads of friends with children so he doesn't need any more. I might want more people to do things with during the week, I am going to birth yoga, aquanatal and after the birth plan to go to baby swimming and buggy bootcamp - I think i'm more likely to meet people i click with at those activities as we'll have the same sort of interests in common (I'm sporty incase that's not obvious).