Thinking about setting up my own private antenatal classes and would really value opinion on what women want etc ?And a name !

[Fakeblondie]

I'm getting so frustrated that the NHS are reducing and in some cases withdrawing funding for antenatal classes. For years now I've seen local mums make lasting friendships and subsequently gain huge support from each other. I have thought about setting upon my own for a while and the time seems right now I think .I d like to offer small classes antenatally, maybe an earlybird class when I,m set up and hopefully breastfeeding classes also.

Would really value your thoughts. . . . What are the most important things that you'd want from a class, how much would or have you paid and would love some suggestions on a name .
Thanks girls

I did NCT so I suppose I'm your market? We paid IIRC £80 (we had a lot more money then). That was for a series of ?5 evening sessions. I thought it was expensive.

Why would I pick you rather than NCT which was (to me) a trusted brand? Not an aggressive question, just one that you'd need to answer. I picked NCT because of the name, because I thought we'd get more time to talk in a smaller group than the remaining NHS classes, and because the latter had dropped to a single daylong session rather than a series. Also because the local NCT teacher has done it for something like 25 years and knows the local system and local hospitals inside out.

I like the sound of linking in to postnatal/breastfeeding support - that would be really valuable.

Contact local parents who've done NCT in your area and ask what was good/bad about the local provision - then you'll have the gap in the market.

thank you. I've been running our NHS classes here as am local midwife for 15 years so everyone kind of knows me. The local mums are just crying out for something more as they are cutting back more and more. many are now having to be turned away. The nearest NCT classes are about half an our away . am quite excited at the idea tbh. So fed up of asking for time ect to do it the way I want to and this way I can.

Sounds great.

Re name, I would go for the local aspect - so 'Antenatal Group Localtown' or 'Localtown Antenatal Class' (class suggests you will need to pay so might be better!)

I paid a (probably astonishing!) $300 - or maybe $250? when I did this five+ years back with DC1. It was a Bradley class. I specifically did it rather than the hospital one because I wanted to learn more about the natural birthing process. In actual fact, I have yet to have an epidural-free delivery - though we'll see with the current one-in-the-oven - would still like to have that experience!

The best thing about doing it (as you've mentioned) is the opportunity to make friends for life. The woman running the class is now one of my best friends, I've made another very, very good friend through the group. Was really invaluable in those hazy, colicky days.....

I think (though it's hard to get first timers to focus on this, I admit!) it would be great to extend what the class covers from just the antenatal period. IME the time home, adjusting to a newborn and getting breastfeeding established, working out how to make friends, what groups to go to, how to take on this new identity as mother is just as hard as anything pregnancy-related. I think we all over-fixate on the birth, tbh, and neglect the postpartum, early pregnancy and, well, the whole next 18 years with kids!!

Maybe that's a few too many topics to cover in just the one class, though

Really love what you're taking on, however - hope it takes off with a vengeance!

This:

"I think (though it's hard to get first timers to focus on this, I admit!) it would be great to extend what the class covers from just the antenatal period. IME the time home, adjusting to a newborn and getting breastfeeding established, working out how to make friends, what groups to go to, how to take on this new identity as mother is just as hard as anything pregnancy-related. I think we all over-fixate on the birth, tbh, and neglect the postpartum, early pregnancy and, well, the whole next 18 years with kids!!"

YY - exactly, exactly my view.

And a names that reflects that (Birth And Beyond?).

Hey cinnabar! How are you? (sorry for quick thread hijack....) Didn't we connect over - hopefully not just pregnancy brain speaking here - breastfeeding issues a while back?

I agree with covering much more post-natal stuff. I felt I had to do nct as our local nhs couldn't guarantee us place. I got on ok with the nct classes, but only because the leader was a midwife and so I found her medical training reassuring. She had worked in big units so had experience of c-section, induction etc, which the NHS classes at my local mlu didn't cover. By contrast the nct breastfeeding session was pants, full of out-dated information.

I would have liked much more on post-natal issues and baby care as I felt that everything is so obsessed with birth which to me was just one day in dd's life, whereas care of a child is life-long. It was the fear of raising a child which caused me huge anxiety/depression.

And, I don't know if you'd be allowed to cover this, but how to make up bottles safely, in case ff is needed/wanted. Because it's not talked about officially, there seems to be mis-information out there.

Basic first aid and illness treatment would also be useful, as we're now weaning and I'm scared of her choking...

I'm with the others on this. Post-natal is what I would really value. Did both the NHS and NCT classes. Very helpful in terms of the birth, but seemed a real lack of when you have the baby. I know it is hard as babies aren't all the same, but all they covered was changing a nappy, and even then it was just what you would expect to see in the nappy.
Like it has been said, yes the birth is something people focus on but it will be over and we will be left with a baby. People who do these courses are likely to be first time parents so it would be good to be given some guidance.

(Think so! Think it was DS2, who never really got the hang of BF - ended up expressing all his feeds until he got to 6 months. There's a DS3 now too - he's still BF at 8 months!)

Agree with postnatal stuff. Think because you're a midwife you're in such a great position to do it - I liked my NCT, but because the teacher wasn't a midwife I found there weren't enough medical facts for my liking (I'm from a medical background myself) and there was a bit too much of the idealised, bug sometimes unrealistic natural labour stuff.

Hi,

My MIL and her friend (both midwives) run a course of ante-natal classed. They charge £130 for 2 evenings (2 1/4 hours) and a full day session including lunch on a Saturday. During the first session, they cover all aspects of a normal, straightforward labour and birth, the birth partner's role and staying active in labour. Week 2, they cover pain relief and c-sections and instrumental deliveries. Week 3 covers breastfeeding, and management of problems, bottlefeeding (including a demonstration of how to make up a feed), all aspects of caring for the baby and a live baby bath demo. They also cover the changes that a woman goes through post-natally, including looking out for PND. During each class they also do a relaxation session.

I did actually attend the course myself when I was pregnant with DC3, although I'd been through it twice before, she was DHs first child, so it was more for his benefit, but I thought what they had on offer was good. It seems a lot to pay for a course, but once they cover their overheads, it doesn't leave much profit.

Good luck!

I did NCT and nhs antenatal classes, and actually the nhs ones were more "right on" than the NCT. I also did NCT "Early Days" classes when DS was a couple of months old, which was actually the most useful of all. All my lasting friendships were made through SureStart. I am significantly worse of than my NCT group and have chosen not to try and keep up with their elaborate trips away and fancy meals out.

My local council used to run a free post natal group for first time mums. It's been stopped now due to cuts. I attended with DD, a group of @ 10 local new mums babies ranged from 6-12 weeks at first meeting.

The course ran for 6 weeks & each week was a different topic : weaning, dental hygiene, local baby class rep, what's on where, bit of baby massage, feeding, sleeping etc. The session lasted about 90 mins, everyone weighed their baby & filled out their red book but most importantly, there was tea coffee biscuits & comfy chairs provided.

The class was run by the HV who was amazing. Any baby was upset, she'd take them for a wander round the room. Baby bouncers & mats provided so we could all relax.

Each week at the start we all had a chance to say how our week had been, discussing problems etc. A good forum for sharing knowledge & taking solace in common problems.

3 years on 8 of us keep in touch, we're currently organising our 3rds joint birthday play date.

My point - this was a free session, it was actually set up to try & catch PND in new mums, it was strongly recommended by the GP that you go but was actually much more than that. I would have paid for it, there is nothing like that in my area now, other than mums & toddlers groups.

It was of much more value than the ante natal classes.

Wow thank you for all this great feedback. So postnatal is def more the need. I love the birth and beyond name too, maybe bump birth and beyond ? I am so looking forward to doing this my way and the way the women want it, without the restrictions of the NHS . Thank you all so much.

Glad you like the name .