Are you still offered ante natal classes?

[bettybat]

You know like - where to go and learn the stages of labour, what to do, when to pant, how to breathe etc?

I'm 25 weeks and just suddenly feel a bit adrift. I've seen my midwives three time (fine), had both scans (fine), but all the conversations have been about either a) the random talks they have once a month or b) paying for additional things myself like NCT or hypnobirthing.

Am I mistaken to think there should be classes on actually giving birth, or is that just on TV??

waiting with interest! i want to know the answer here too... i know the place near me has BF groups no idea on antaenatal though

I had to ask. Turns out the hospital does both free antenatal and BF classes, but getting the information was like pulling teeth. I'm also doing NCT

NHS ones tend to be basic, oversubscribed, and need to be booked well in advance, at least in London

My MW said they're usually discussed about 28-32 weeks, but tbh I'd heard they're usually oversubscribed and this can be too late

Last time I got offered them at my 25 week appointment, booked for about 34 weeks. 3 2-hour classes covered the very basic stuff such as when to call the hospital, what pain relief was available, postnatal stuff, also anatomy lesson - a knitted dolly being pulled through a pelvis in various positions. We were given a couple of times to tour the MLU and delivery suite. Mostly it was about meeting others around the same point of pregnancy. There were around 30 couples in my class.

Its useful the first time round just for information but I don't see a need to go again.

Never saw a hint of breathing exercises. Pants were only discussed in relation to what type are comfy after a c-section.

Have you checked if there is an NCT antenatal class near you?

NCT link

At 25 weeks you probably need to get the info and book ASAP - they do seem to get booked up well in advance - the ones at sensible times did round here, anyway. Did your midwife not mention it?
Phone your midwives and ask.

I'm 23 weeks and the midwives haven't mentioned anything about either NHS antenatal classes or NCT to me. I've had three scans (a 12-week one and two 20-week ones, as the baby was being awkward) and three midwife appointments.

Wondering what the arrangements were, I had a look back through all the booklets I was given at my booking-in appointment, and discovered that in one of them there's a paragraph on the NHS classes, with a phone number to ring to book onto a course.
I rang up last week and was given a full range of options - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings for five weeks, or else a two-day "intensive" weekend course. There were still places on all of them.

So I think it really depends what part of the country you're in.
Although they might be basic in London, in Sheffield the classes certainly aren't oversubscribed and don't seem to be basic - I'm going to the hospital for two hours a week for five weeks, with an optional first aid class on top.

Tbh, I think the NCT sounds like a waste of time when the NHS option seems to be good, but as I've never done this before I could be wrong.

We just had a 1 hour Q&A session. The only helpful bit was info on parking at the hospital. We also covered pain relief and that was it!

Weird, I guess it just depends on the resources available in your area?

Am feeling a bit adrift...seeing the midwife again at 28 weeks, and I know that there's still aaaages for me to go from their perspective but I dunno...i guess it ramps up from 30 weeks? I think that must be it - for me, 25 weeks feels very far along, I'm in new territory, feeling very big and very pregnant but there's still 3.5 months to go so for everyone else, there's no rush yet!

I think also - I don't have a midwife per se - I make the appointment at my GPs and it's just whoever is there that day. I can't even remember the name of the woman I saw at 16 weeks anyway but I guess I am just off in my expectations?

They kept saying, you'll have to pay for NCT yourself, you'll have to do this yourself, we don't offer it etc and all of that is fine but I was wondering if I was missing something I didn't need to sort out myself!

Not all areas still offer them. I'm in Manchester and was told they don't do them anymore. My cousin is in the same area and she got some prep classes at SureStart, but she's only 17 so I imagine there was some (fair enough) resource targeting going on.

yes, here you have to book by 20 weeks if you want a place

are the once a month talks not the same thing? NHS antenatal classes are sometimes just an evening or two

are you thinking of lamaze (? spelling?) where they all sit on yoga mats on the floor with their partners behind them? - thats an American thing

Even my NCT class was just sitting (on chairs) listening to a midwife rabbit on a bit, there was a brief CS role play, and once she did a 5 min (pointless) back massage demo thing.. but the rest was just talking and listening

I would still have to arrange the NHS one myself if I wanted to do it, it's not automatic through the MW

surestart sometimes do them for free (again you have to book yourself in), they're often quite NCTish though

I am 17 weeks and was told about the NHS ones at my 16 week appt.

I think it's 2 evening classes plus a group session with a physio about breathing etc.

Very much seems like a postcode lottery. I'm in Trafford (Manchester) and was told about them at my MW appointment at the hospital following my 20 week scan and booked in there and then. You seem to have to book early if you are working and need the evening ones (daytime ones much easier to book as obviously less people can go to them). I could choose whether to do July or August as my due date put me on the cusp - I chose August so we have 4 weeks in a row from 31 weeks onwards. No idea what they cover yet but I'm hoping it's the signs of labour, breathing/pain relief and breastfeeding - not sure what else it could be? Som areas incude a hospital tour but that is separate where I am, as ante-natal stuff it at one hospital and labour at another.

However my friend in Didsbury (only 20 minutes away) asked her MW and only got pointed otwards the private classes she personally ran!

My SIL in Warrington had a similar set up to me.