Dh/dp's attending antenatal classes?

[Penguinandminipenguin]

I've just found out the first of my 2 antenatal classes with the NHS starts tomorrow(!)
Are dh/dp/dads of the baby's usually 1.) allowed time off for this 2.) do they usually go?

Dh has been allowed a lot of time off as we've had various consultant appointments etc, and still have more to come so fingers x he's allowed to come to the future ones. We hadn't even thought about asking for time off for antenatal classes though. I guess it's too late now though!

Will I be the only one there without a dh/dp? :(

I went to an all day weekend class rather than a midweek course and almost all women has a partner with them (mostly dp, some mums). That was at the weekend though, I would guess midweek there will be plenty of unaccompanied women!

But no I don't think dads have to be given time off for appointments in the same way that women do.

I guess I will just hope that as it's in the middle of the day, other women's dps/dhs won't be allowed the time off either, so I won't be alone!

Do you have to pair up to do anything, like what you see on all these American TV programmes where they practise breathing etc etc?!

My NHS class was 6 years ago. I would say about 25% of people had partners there max. Generally because they were shift workers and off anyway etc.

There was some group work but nothing embarrassing. Like each group had to guess how many people might be routinely in the room for a section.

I was the only one in my NHS class that didn't have the dad there! I presumed it would just be mums cos of getting time off work, but nope. There was group work, but no practicing breathing or anything like that

Fathers have the right to two antenatal appointments, sounds like he's used up the right to entitlement but hopefully his work will continue to support the rest of the appointments you have.

I think there were one or two women who didn't have their partner with them both times we did a set of classes.