Antenatal NCT courses -to do or not to do?

[marushka82]

Hi everyone! I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant with our DC1 and I was wondering whether NCT classes are worth attending.
As far as I know I only have one antenatal Birth Preparation class on NHS (around week 30-36) and I'm worried it's not going to be enough.
I read a few threads here and I think the general consensus is that NCT classes are not only very informative, but also a great way to meet new parents in the area.
I've got two questions:

1. we're going to be moving (not very far from where we are now, but still) - should I wait to book the class after we move (might not be until June, a month or so before my due date) or will it be way too late?
   
2. I can't seem to find a lot of information out there about the pricing - I think most courses in my area are around 16-18.5 hrs and are priced according to bands which depend on the area - is there any way to find out which band my area (Ealing) is in, or should I just email the course organiser and ask?
   

Sorry for so many questions, I'm new to this! I'm also a bit of a control freak so I want to do my homework before the baby is here!

[1500mmania]

Don't do NCT if you only want it for making friends - you don't need to spend £300 to make friends. Just head along to baby groups, rhyme times, etc and you will get to meet people (it is the easiest time in the world to make friends when you have a new baby!)

Your NHS antenatal session will probably cover everything that you need to know and at the end of the day its good to be informed but the antenatal classes are not rocket science.

[CheapTarnishedGlitter]

If friendship groups are important exercisey type classes can be good. I really like my local aquanatal class as there's a nice mix of first timers and second timers and it's led by a midwife. There's obviously not the same structure and info as you'd get in an antenatal class but it's very friendly and great for a how's-it-going gossip!

[marushka82]

I had a think about whether to take the classes or not, based on feedback I received here (thanks!!!!) and prices I've been quoted (£318 in Ealing) and DH and I decided that we will not be signing up for these classes; we'll go to the birth preparation class offered by the hospital and possibly a short baby care course (few hours in Isleworth) (non NCT) which costs £30 per couple and one called Gentle birth in Kent which is £65 per couple and takes 7 hours. Much more reasonable and within our budget. As for building a network I already started and I'm meeting up with two fellow Mumsnetters I met through this board!

[crazyhead]

I do agree they are a bit prohibitive rabbitfrommars, and I'm sure it is quite possible to find other ways of creating a network! It is just that I do think that it is well worth planning a network in advance unless you are used to not working.

[rabbitfrommars]

//crazyhead I don't have a problem with NCT classes themselves, I actually would of gone to one myself, but in the area I live the classes start at £250 (and go up to £300) plus the cost of joining NCT itself made me have to rethink.

[crazyhead]

I think it is worth doing NCT, or something similar, unless you've got a group of established friends having babies nearby at the same time.

As someone going from a full on, highly structured career, nothing could have prepared me for the total lack of structure of having a newborn baby. Weekly NCT meet-ups were an absolute lifesaver for me.

For me, it was a bit like being a first year student at university and meeting other nervous freshers - something about the newness of being a mum and the fact of being a group of women in the same situation did mean we gelled despite some differences. Even if the relationships don't last for ever, they make the first year a lot nicer!

[SizzleSazz]

I met 2 really good friends at NCT (the others were all great tbh, but just not longlasting friendships) and it was great to have people going through the same things as you physically and emotionally. You tend to blank it all out afterwards and now i find it difficult to put myself back in the shoes of a pregnant person or new parent.

We did it mainly because we knew no-one in a new area and it was a great springboard to meet new people.

From early on we were having a medical c-section, so the natural birth stuff was entertaining (and they were quite evangelical on this point!)

6 years on from early baby days i keep in touch with 2 NCT friends, one friend i met on the postnatal ward and i friend i met in the midwife led 'cottage hospital' i transferred to to recover from my c-section.

[AmberLav]

I really enjoyed my NCT classes, and all the couples meet up regularly, sometimes just mums, just the dads , sometimes all together... It was great that we were all at the same stage of uselessness!

I also know a lot of people who have booked into a class in the area they were moving into, and they said it was a great way to make new friends quickly...

[MyDarlingClementine]

I think its worth every penny myself - when you have small baby etc any support will be invaluble, obvisouly the longer you are at something all chatting the longer you have to really make friends.

Id take the natural birth slant - for what it is - one point of view and be resistant if you have a particulary brainwashing teacher.

You can read all you need to know in books but the little tit bits that come out from chatting about all sorts are worth that bit of extra money.

A friend told me years ago to go to NCt and i had no idea what it was about - I went to a useless local hospital one instead, no chance at all of making friends.

I had a very very different expereince to another friend who did go to Nct and had all these baby friends....

When I look back on how we penny pinched first time round i really really kick myself....we have less money now than then - this time I have made sure I have everything I need!

It can be incredibly isolationg with a young baby - honeslty go to as many courses as you can purely for the potential of making friends.

Even if you dont speak to someone in one course- if you go to a baby group and dont know anyone - its still a convertaion starter - oh - didnt i see you at so and so - what did you think of the teacher.

shave off the budget elsewhere. dont skimp on this.

[flowerpowergirl]

Hi I just wanted to say that I went to NCT classes before the birth of my first child and would highly recommend. It wasn't at all biased towards a natural birth but I felt gave all the info I needed on all options. My DD was a breech and I tried to have her naturally but ended up having an emergency caesarean. I can't imagine having gone through all that without my husband having all the same info as me. Our local NHS classes were for mums only. I think this is fine if the birth is very straightforward but if it becomes complicated it is a huge reassurance to know your husband knows what's going on! Plus I made some great friends who I still see regularly even after 10 years! Obviously a lot depends on your area but that was my experience. Good luck!

[rabbitfrommars]

delayed cord clamping apparently helps reduce iron deficiency when they get to 4 months (esp if they are breast fed) - basically it means they wait til the cord stops pulsing before clamping, if you decide to do that then you may also need to go for physiological 3rd stage which means that instead of giving you an injection to get the placenta out they wait for it to come naturally (which can leave take upto an hour), this basically means you need to breast feed straight after birth to get the hormones to kick in. Please please chat to your midwife first though so you know all the pros and cons

[marushka82]

rabbitfrommars thanks for taking the time type all this up - very useful!
Just looking at the paragraph about what was NOT covered I realised how little I know. No idea what the delayed cord clamping is about (well, ok, I suspect it's to do with the umbilical cord, but not sure why you'd delay sorting it out), same with injections? Thank god for Mumsnet and books. I think I'm going to prepare myself a huge list of questions to ask my MW at my next appointment!

[rabbitfrommars]

Things I think were missed out at the class was,
Delayed cord clamping (nothing said at all)
Skin to skin after birth (they did cover a bit of this but not much)
Physiological 3rd trimester (again covered the injectiong but not the advantages and disadvantages of having the injection post birth)
Luckily all these things can be looked up onlie and discussed with your midwife
There was probably more missed but I can't think of it at the moment

[rabbitfrommars]

Ok so the course at Queen Charlotte was good/interesting.

It felt a bit overwhelming as there was a lot of information and not that much time to go into all of it. It covered a lot on what to expect if you have pain relief and the steps they go through for an epidural, she also went through when to call the hospital and where to go when you arrive at the hospital (including parking and what to take). She reminded people that they should have their notes on them (I hadn't brought mine ), and told people where to find hospital numbers on them etc. Also covered giving baby first bath, holding baby, how long you'll stay in hospital.

It covered a lot on c-section and what happens with more difficult births.
I'm glad I went as I think it was good to know what to expect at the hospital you're actually going to give birth in (especially telling you which ward to head for when you first arrive - birthing suit vs labour ward) but I would suggest taking your partner and one of you taking notes as it's a lot of information and they didn't give handouts (which they did in the breast feeding).

[marushka82]

rabbitfrommars that's such great news, thanks for posting this! I'm with Queen Charlotte as well and so far I've been to one class about exercise/nutrition etc in pregnancy - it was very informative and the instructor was very nice.
The next one on my list is the Birth Preparation class which I can attend between 30-36 weeks (and need to sign up to asap!) - is that the one you're going to next week? I think this one is with the partners and I'd be really interested to read your feedback! Is the breastfeeding class for when you're around 30 wks + as well?

A quick update from me: I got a reply from the NCT coordinator in my area (Ealing) and the price of one of the courses (sadly all booked out) is £278, the other (with places still available) is £318 (which is outside of our budget I think). I emailed the coordinator today to find out the prices of two more courses, so I'll share here once I get a reply.
I also found a few shorter antenatal classes run locally (not by NCT) and I'm considering giving them a go). There's also a course called As 2 become 3 which we were recommended at the first antenatal class in the hospital. It's heavily subsidized and about £45 a couple; from what I gathered from the website it focuses more on the transition and the emotional aspect of becoming a parent (also interesting!) rather than practical (link here if someone is interested: www.as2become3.org/)

In all fairness, I think what we'll end up doing will be: reading a lot of books/Mumsnet, going to the NHS classes and maybe trying out the cheaper, one day or 2-3 hour courses.

[rabbitfrommars]

I just went to the Breast feeding class at Queen Charlotte (scheduled to be 3 hours but only took 2hours). It was run by a Breast feeding specialist and she was very good (she also helps post birth and runs a clinic to check all is going well post birth). I liked the class and it really covered what I felt I needed to know. I'm going to the antenatal class later in the week, so I'll let you know how that goes.

[worsestershiresauce]

If anyone is reading this outside of London, don't assume there will be local NCT classes. My nearest were miles away, and would have been hopeless for meeting local friends. I didn't bother and opted for the 2 x 2 hour NHS sessions which were just 6 miles away. These were great, and as they were held at the local birthing unit we were able to watch the nurse change and bathe a new born.

Mums and baby groups are just as good for making friends, and they are free. I think NCT classes are just too expensive.

[kittykatsforever]

Lozter if you do the nhs one you are just as likely to make friends there, they are exactly the same, pregnant women usually on their first looking for info and to make friends, no difference apart from cost and content, there will usually be bf classes you can go to aswell, the majority of groups and coffee things are after birth though

[lozster]

Does any one have any alternative suggestions for the making friendship part? I will speak to my midwife as there are lots of children's centres near me I could reach very easily but are these mainly for post birth? Will I have to wait until I have the baby?

[lozster]

Interesting to read this thread as I have the same conundrum. Everyone at work (urban area) is asking me if I am going but I live in a semi-rural village and the nearest groups are in a city and a town many miles from my village or nearest town. I also want to make friends but I'm really wondering if it is worth it due to the lack of proximity and the fact that my hospital (also miles away and serving a massive rural area) offers classes for free so in terms of info I can get that there. My oh was super keen for ME to join. I think he thought this was a women only thing. Now he knows the meeting would be a one hour round trip involving him, he seems less keen!

[Thundercatz]

Sure!

[marushka82]

Thundercatz haha, yes, born in 1982! :D I'll PM you soon ok?

[chickydoo]

I met my best friend doing NCT classes...that was 17 years ago :)

[Thundercatz]

Thanks and congrats to you too! We love it here too and west Ealing post code gets you more for your money but we are still only a ten min walk to Ealing broadway! I'm also at queen Charlotte - so far so good!
Absolutely coffee would be great and happy to chat bumps and houses! If you were born in 1982 then we have even more in common!