Anyone not attend antenatal classes??

[pookie81]

Hi all,

I don't think I will be able to attend antenatal classes due to the fact i have no way of getting to and from them (too far away..even when they say local). Just wondering if any of you went through pregnancy not going to any classes...did you regret it? I am worried that I am missing out. Thanks.

I did not go first time round - well dh and I attended the first one but that was it - just not my cup of tea as well as being too exhausted from still teaching full time to go at night.

Ended up with emergency c-section and so would have been a moot point - baby in SCBU specialist care etc

2nd time round hoped for a vbac - and so attended the birthing ones but skipped the parenting etc ones. ENded up with elective c-section and wished I had not wasted my time with some people who just got on my nerves.

I did however do a lot of reading and researching each time and so did not go into it blindly iyswim.

Did both hospital tours - helpful to know where to go etc when the time came.

I went to every single class available.

Local authority ones were rubbish. Run by a militant HV who had never actually given birth. I went on my own (DP put his foot down after the NCT ones) and I was pitied by everybody else (fgs!).

NCT ones were great. Completely unbiased and gave me a lot of information (I had to do a talk on TENS but what I left out in retrospect was how crap they are). The b/f class was a bit with all of the dads watching us manipulate dolls and pillows around our norks. Especially for the mum expecting twins. It was the first place I heard about the fact the milk doesn't come out of a single hole though! It was a good class however, taught us about skin-to-skin and ways of positioning the baby for feeding. Also that sometimes it is difficult, but that there are people who can help. Also not to feel bad if you are unable to for whatever reason.

I also read every book on the market, every magazine and spent all day surfing parenting sites (I am the MOST first-time mum-like first time mum EVER).

The only thing I wish I had learned was more about what life was like after giving birth - I was preoccupied with the birth and buying stuff . I had the biggest shock of my life when DD wouldn't go to sleep after my 32 hour labour. You've never seen a penny drop quite like it. Same as when she was ready for weaning and I suddenly realised that I'd have to come up with 3 nutritious meals EVERY SINGLE DAY for another 20 years.

To summarise (sorry, am waffling because I'm on my own, and its my birthday and I've got nobody to talk to) I don't think you need to worry about missing out on classes. There are plenty of other places to get information.

Firstly, Happy Birthday arfishymeau!!!
Secondly, never did any classes here as my Dr said it wasn't worth it... However, I was the typical first-timer & watched baby programmes whenever they were on & read everything in print & online that I could find. It's a little different here (Bahamas) as there is no back up anyway once you leave hospital apart from your paediatrician visits, but I don't think the classes would have made any difference to me. Good luck whatever you decide...

but that's what they do right? I have to stop mine from blaming our ds when we're out & he does one.

I didn't go to any. They don't exist here. It didn't bother me really at the time. I didn't have any books either and I just muddled through both times.

The other mum's at my appointments were all a different nationality to me and not English speaking nor native to the country I live in and I had a hospital room to myself both times so I didn't speak to any other mums while I was pregnant or giving birth and it was very lonely.

My friends on the UK rated nct classes for this reason only and even though their dc are school age their social circle and their dp's are all people they met at nct groups.

My baby arrived at 29 weeks so was too early to have gone to any classes. I dont know what they were like but I did feel a bit lost during labour as I had no understanding of the processes or what was happening. I'd say do plenty of reading to make sure you have the vocabulary to explain how you're feeling during labour and to reassure you about what's normal.

Zombie thread guys! Probably bumped by an advertiser

Me and OH went to one on Monday actually and it was a COMPLETE waste of time and was really unwelcoming. Me and OH were probably the youngest couple in there (we're mid 20's) and were made to feel like a couple of naughty teenagers, no one even bothered to talk to us! PLUS the class ended up lasting two hours when it was only meant to be an hour!!

And what they tell you isn't going to help you really, it's things I am going to be discussing with my MW anyway e.g. pain relief while in labour which the woman spent 40 minutes talking about! We then did some scenarios as to what to do at different stages of labour and that was it all pretty useless things (i thought anyway)

I have a BF one coming up that I was going to go to but i'm going to be telling my MW when I see her that i'm not going because it made me feel so uncomfortable!