Nhs antenatal classes

[Ruth10]

DH and I have booked ourselves on the local nhs antenatal classes, they run for 1 evening a week for 3 weeks. The lady on the phone I booked them with said that it covers labour and baby care when we take the baby home. Does anyone have any recent experience of what these type of classes are like? Will we have to do role play or anything cringey like that neither DH or I are into that kind of thing!

Mine were just 'sit and listen' type sessions. A little but of group work where we had to write things down (you could literally just say nothing if you wanted to, thre were plenty of vocal people in our little group!) but mostly it was just listening to the midwife.

I actually found them really useful despite thinking I had a good base level of knowledge from reading.

I've been to my first one (last Monday) - this was on "normal labour" and the midwife had a long chart (laid out on the floor) with a wiggly line showing contractions (intensity / frequency) and the 3 stages of labour. There was a lot of involving us (about 4 mums, 2 dads) with flash cards ("things you might find useful at different points in labour" and there were some for fathers too). All in all, I thought it was useful, either as a recap or as a clear and not-particularly-scary summary of what is going on.

Tomorrow is on drugs and interventions. Then there's one on feeding, and finally one on bringing baby home.

Ours weren't interactive at all. We weren't even really given the opportunity to ask questions. I don't think that information is particularly useful to you though because it depends no two classes will be the same. You need to ask someone who has been to the classes in your area.

As Tarka says it's probably best speaking to parents in your area who have recently been on the classes there. Where we are you get 6 x 2hrs. All of it has been fairly interactive, but the midwife said in the first week it was entirely up to you how much you got involved in group work and discussions.

Thanks for the info ladies, I don't know anyone in my area that has been to nhs classes they all go to nct, but I'm not paying out their prices!

Hi ladies, I'm confused about ante natal classes! How far along should you be when you book them? I've had no information from my midwife about the nhs ones so I googled it and it says about showing an interest early! I'm only 18 weeks at the moment, do you think she will give me the info at my 25 week appointment? I would book the nct ones but I also refuse to pay the prices! Xx

I booked mine around 25 weeks and attended them weeks 35-37.
No cringy roleplay etc. Not very thorough though and perhaps a little basic. Do some reading too or at least have a good baby book at home to fall back on.

The midwife gave me a number to call to book a place and we went about 10 weeks before the due date but some people were further on. It was useful, especially the tour of the delivery suite and they told us the practicalities eg when to phone hospital, where to go when we got there, where to park etc.
No role play but the midwife wanted a volunteer dad to put on the pregnancy suit. She chose the gobby bloke who'd been making jokes about how easy it would all be - served him right!

Round here they recommend you start them around 27 weeks, though you don't have to book on our NHS classes. My friend was waiting till she was on mat leave at 37 weeks, but her baby came early so never actually got to go to them, so that's always something to bear in mind.

Mine are only during the middle of the day on Mondays Meaning that unless I go on mat leave crazy early, or try and wangle half a day off work every week for 6 weeks, I can't go to them.

Luckily I have the money to do Lazy Daisy birthing classes which cover lots of aspects of birth/ pain relief etc, and I've got MN for the parenting stuff, but it must be awful to be working and scrimping on a really low income and prevented from going to classes because of that.

I did both Nhs and nct courses and found the Nhs useless except for the free change bag and room thermometer we got. We were told to book early to get a place as they were popular but when we showed up there must have been over 40 people there crammed into a small room with not enough chairs and no room to move. Clearly they should have done extra classes and split the group up.
We didn't have any role play games mostly just being talked at. There were some questions and group discussions but as we couldn't move it was limited.
I was really glad that I had been to the nct course as well

RevoltingPeasant - you should be allowed time off work to attend them, I think you are entitled to like you are for midwife appointments. I know several people who have taken time off for this. Sadly mine were all in the evening!

Pointless maybe but it just isn't realistic. I'd have to go in every weekend to make up the work I'd be missing and I already work enough weekends as it is. Also I teach and the set time just wouldn't work.

In my area you can't book them until you are 28 weeks. Have my 28 week mw appt tomorrow then will ring to find out. I've got a feeling there is only one session here though, not sure how useful it will be.