Should I go to antenatal classes?

[ZadokTheBeast]

Just looking for opinions really. I'll be having an ELCS for medial reasons so a lot of the labour-related stuff won't be relevant, and I wondered also whether a group with a stronger focus on 'natural' birth might be a bit less - I don't know - welcoming, considering my situation? VBAC is not an option and it's not up for discussion - I don't want anyone attempting to persuade me otherwise. I remember from my first (I went to sessions run my our NHS community midwives) that there was, understandably, a lot of time devoted to the birth process but I've kind of forgotten most of the rest of it, so think I might benefit from a refresher course! Also I am really old :-) and slightly worried that I'll be a bit of an oddity. Got ages to think about it but grateful for views/experiences.

mediCal reasons!

My NCT and NHS classes asked us all our medical needs re birth and informed us accordingly. No stigma or anything at all. :)

I didn't bother going to most of mine as I had to have an ELCS for medical reasons too and I didn't feel like they would be overly helpful. The only one I went to was the one on breastfeeding, which was excellent.

Classes can be good to make friends. So might be worth it if you need a support network post birth.

I'm not bothering. I'm having an ELCS so I don't think they'll be very relevant and, rightly or wrongly, the thought of being obliged to make friends with people when all we have in common is having kids at the same time leaves me cold!

Plus I have better things to do like nap for 2 hours every week for 6 weeks.

Do you need advice on breastfeeding or newborn care? Would you like to meet other parents to be who will have babies of a similar age? If not I'm not sure I'd bother. Didn't with DC2 myself. Had two (one horrendous one fine) vaginal births myself but SIL needed ELCS and the flipping pestering and pressure for VBAC at every turn was completely unhelpful.

I found the breast feeding one worth attending. For my own knowledge (obv) but also because my DP is unlikely to read anything and I'm not entirely sure he trusts anything I say anymore because I've been so neurotic and irrational for the whole pregnancy!! So it was good for him to hear all the info from the source.