Does it matter not doing ante-natal classes?

[PollyIndia]

I really can't be arsed. I've done a 2 day hypnobirthing course so feel quite on top of the process and my options re intervention/hurrying things along etc.
I am also doing an active birth prep workshop which links pregnancy yoga to stages of birthing and going to a homebirth meeting where I can meet and chat with other people who have had homebirths. And i am going to a slingmeet.

Do I also need to do ante natal classes?

I feel like when the baby is here, I will figure it out. What more is there to know about pre the baby arriving that I don't yet have covered?

Thank you

badger cross post!

NCT classes are only any good for meeting people if they have a good branch locally. My local branch had no activity so I'd check first otherwise it could be a big waste of money. Better off buying a good book on baby care.

In hindsight the only thing I gained from our 6 hrs (split over 2 sessions) was finding out who to contact/where to go n seeing what the wards like

If you're after classes for meeting people, I would def recommend not paying out and if you can't fit the NHS ones in, then don't bother. I barely found out the names of the other couples at our antenatal classes!!

I found Netmums (boo hiss ) great for listing local groups & activities. I have met mums with babies a couple of months older/younger and become firm friends.

I also occassionally visit the Children's centres/Sure Start centres locally. They have some good activities sometimes (although it varies wildly between centres) and you can often get information about other groups - such as breastfeeding support groups & so on.

The local leisure centres sometimes run classes, baby yoga or music & movement, that may mean you meet other mums.

Finally, our local libraries run "rhyme time". Short sessions with lots of singing of nursery rhymes. Great for meeting mums & having a coffee & a chat after, although once DD was mobile, this was harder :)

Thanks all :)

Chunkychicken, my sister has just moved round the corner and been investigating all the activities on offer and it seems like the childrens centres are quite good. There are lots of other little things too like baby singing, baby massage, baby yoga etc etc.
Rhyme Time sounds ace!

I will check out netmums too

I am an nct teacher and think that although pricey our classes can offer an invaluable support network as we group people together with such close due dates. So when your baby won't latch onto your poor, sore boob at 11.30pm on a Sunday night, you can call them and they will be going through the same thing. Babies change so much that often your friend up the road with an 8 month old can't remember what colour poo her baby did on day 7 or when she dropped the dream feed. Friendships have been known to last a lifetime. However, it is a personal choice and there are lots of other places to find help, support and friendship, especially if you live in an urban area. Such an exciting time - I wish you all the very very best. X

I did NHS and NCT classes first time round (keen emoticon). I found the information about labour and birth very interesting and I think it helped when during my actual birth because at least I understood what was happening. But you could get that from a number of sources.

The one thing I was glad I went to the NHS classes for was the info about what to do when you go into labour - who to ring, where to go etc. I gave birth in a very large city centre hospital and the ante natal class had lots of info about parking, transport, etc. which I might not otherwise have thought about. Also, had I been in the throes of labour when I arrived (I wasn't as it turns out), I would NOT have wanted to be wandering around long corridors and getting into endless lifts - because I'd been in the class I knew exactly where to go.

Also, there was info about specific hospital policies. For e.g. that you can't request a female doctor. That didn't bother me but I can see that people from certain cultural backgrounds might be concerned.

Your midwife can give you all this info of course, but there might be things you don't think to ask and they don't think to tell you.