NCT classes and membership

[IDreamOfPeace]

I had a quick search for threads that answered my question but they all date back to 2013 or later, so thought i'd ask to get some current opinions.

I'm due to have my first baby early next April and was looking at booking up some ante-natal classes. Are the NCT ones worth the money and does anyone know roughly what they cost? Can't seem to find an answer on their website.

Also, i see they have a membership scheme. If you buy the membership does that give you access to the ante-natal courses or is that a separate cost? Are there any perks that come with the membership other than being allowed to buy and sell at their nearly new sales? Sorry if this is all there on their website but i looked and couldn't see answers. I might be being slow because I've been ill all week and not had much sleep!

Thanks!

salted Northamptonshire, it was around that, possibly 190

I did NHS rather than NCT classes last time & really regretted it.
The NHS classes were great (apart from one particularly obnoxious midwife) but I didn't make any friends & found life with a new baby quite lonely.
Lots of my friends have made excellent friendships after NCT classes & so that's what I plan to do this time.

I'm due in April and I have signed up for the signature... I'm in Brighton and it was £273! Expensive, but I'm hoping worth it! I haven't got any mum friends at all as I'm the first to have a baby so I'm doing it to meet people really.

I looked into NCT courses but couldn't justify the cost- instead I found a four-week course run privately by a local midwife at a third of the price. I think it is appaling that NCT classes are so pricey, especially given that they are supposed to be a charity (and many of their course tutors have never worked as midwives or even attended a birth). I also did the local NHS day which, to my surprise, was brilliant (but no good for making friends).

I also found antenatal yoga and exercise classes were great for getting out and about and meeting new friends if you're into that sort of thing.

We did both NCT and NHS classes.

The NHS classes were dreadful by comparison to the NCT ones and we didn't even have a chance to speak to the other couples let alone make friends.

Our NCT classes were very good (and the lady giving them was a midwife) but the real benefit was making friends. My NCT girls were a life line in the early days.

We're all still in touch nearly 10 years on.

I made an effort to make friends outside my NCT circle too once we started to get out and about to baby classes.

Thanks everyone again for your advice, opinions and reassurance. It's very much appreciated!

Of my friends I'm the last to have a baby. Most of their kids are now in primary school or higher so the mums are back at work now and not about during the day for me to pop by.

It'll be quite nice to meet new people, let alone those in the same position as me. I'm looking forward to all the promised meet ups for cake and coffee too!

For the actual info, which a s others have said, can be read in a book, probably not worth the cash.
Membership definitely not needed....unless perhaps you plan to get heavily involved in the organisation.

Re making friends....depends what you're like really. Some people hate the idea of meeting new people, or the idea of meeting 'NCT type' people. Other people can't wait. Depends which type you are.

I did NCT and years later, still meet fairly regularly with my group. We wouldn't have all been friends without the babies, but the babies gave us enough in common to get to know each other at the time....and actually over the years, it's been refreshing to have some friends who are perhaps just a bit different to most of my other friends. And we have shared a lot actually. So there have been divorces, redundancies, babies with disabilities and even more striking events. Some of us went on to have more babies and some didn't, some returned to work and some didn't ....the children all go too different schools....but we still meet several times a year for a meal - not so much with the kids now - that died out a couple of years ago, when their interests no longer aligned.

Yes, it can seem like a lot of money. However the NCT is now offering a range of courses to meet people's different budgets. If you can stretch to it, I'd say give it a go. Perhaps a GP will buy it for you instead of a nursery item. Some groups don't really gel, but you will hear loads of stories of great friendships made....and if you turn out to be one of those, it is brilliant, particularly at that time when you're a new mum and everything is new and fascinating to have others to endlessly discuss things that most other people have no interest in, but you also progress through the stages of kids together....so the learning to talk, the potty training, the choosing primary schools....and secondary schools and the dealing with boyfriends/girlfriends, universities etc etc. You are simply at the same stage of the journey, and it can be lovely to know there are others at the same point as you.

I'm not sure the classes are worth the cost, I think they can be, but it's hit or miss with your teacher and the other parents. I got far more information from the pregnancy and birth forums on here. If you strike it lucky though you may make friends for life, we are still close with 2 families.

You don't have to be a member to buy/sell at sales or attend local baby groups.

Interestingly they actually have recently introduced member benefits after years of not really having any. I'm a member though and still haven't figured out how to use them - details on this link (if you can figure out how to log in, good luck with that)

www.nct.org.uk/become-a-member

We did essentials course (2 full days and an evening session on breastfeeding). Living in London it cost more than £300. The course leader was pretty bad- she seemed disinterested and out of date knowledge wise. I was lucky in that our group got on really well and we've seen loads of each other on mat leave. It was worth the money just for having women to meet up with and have coffee, moan, husband bash etc. My DD has benefited from regular contact with the other mums and babies as she's a bit clingy but is much more confident with our Nct group as we see them so often.

For info about labour- the nhs classes were much better but I didn't make any friends on that course.

NCT course leaders aren't just enthusiastic amateurs! They're qualified with a diploma in higher education - or nowadays with a foundation degree in antenatal education. So yes, not midwives, but trained in adult education plus lots of knowledge about childbirth and parenting theory. Most (but not all) have had children too. Sadly not everyone does find them useful - but most people do!

Bowed, how many births have nct leaders attended usually?

Sounds like you've decided to do them but I'll add my tuppence anyway.
I didn't do them. I almost did but I was put off by the cost then the local classes didn't quite fit my due date as they only ran them every few months. I missed having done them for the first few, say 6 months - I didn't have the ready made circle of new mums that others did.

Beyond that it has made no difference. I met a couple of new mums anyway through classes and I'd say in at least one case I'm closer to the person I met than they are to their nct group.
Is there a yoga for pregnancy near you? I enjoyed that and met a few mums through that.

On the class content I wouldn't say I was less informed than those that did nct (I did do the Nhs classes and my own research). I've spoken to a couple of mums that felt the classes gave the impression that birth would be all candles and soft music and they could breathe their way through it and that they were somehow a failure for wanting/needing pain relief or intervention. My mum used to work in a pregnancy related area (medical position) and she didn't like nct classes for this reason. In reality do whatever is best for you and baby, wherever and however you choose to have your baby.

I did both nct and NHS antenatal classes. Both were worthwhile, the nct classes particularly for the "c section role play", which meant I didn't freak out when I had a c sec and there were 12 people in the room. The Nhs classes were surprisingly more "touchy feely / don't really condone pain relief/ big on hypno birthing" than than the nct ones, but that might just be my hospital.

I didn't really gel with my nct class (they were largely much better off than us, and once we'd got over the tiny baby/coffee shop stage, they moved onto weekends in naice hotels and holidays to Italy, which were just out of our league) but did make some good friends through nct coffee mornings/bumps and babies and volunteering on the local committee for a couple of years. (There is a lot more to the nct than antenatal classes).

I made my good "mum" friends at the local Surestart Centre, which fulfilled its purpose brilliantly where I live. Sadly it closed after 4 years as we are deemed to be too affluent. Massive shame, the support I got from them was something money can't buy.

Hi mouldycheesefan - it varies tremendously as far as I know, as some are doulas, some are midwives, some are informal doulas for friends - so some lots some a few I guess. But they are well educated / trained in adult ed and group facilitation, and for people to be able to learn (and have good opportunities to make friends!) those are really important things.

I was going to do nct until I read a lot of threads on here and came to the conclusion that they are running one heck of a con.
It's very clear from lots of threads on here that they can teach whatever they like, there isn't a set curriculum all courses must teach. The majority of threads basically boil down to you are paying a lot of money to potentially make friends. If you're ok with that then go for it.

I also noted that every nct classes or group in my town and the 3 nearest towns to me are in overwhelmingly affluent areas... Make of that what you will.

Sorry for the negativity but considering try are a charity I don't actually think they are all that inclusive really

Yeah. My midwife gave me the same advice - she told me Nct would be a good idea, but maybe do the NHS breastfeeding one (which was fab - much more practical than the Nct one). She was pretty up front about the fact she thought Nct was a good idea to make "likeminded" friends in the same area at the same stage!

frika to be fair our NCT classes were excellent.

The local NHS ones were dreadful.

I found I got different (complementary not contradictory) information and views from the NCT vs NHS ante-natal classes. The NCT ones we had more chance to talk to each other during the course so became friends fairly quickly, lots of whatsapp chat and meeting up as soon as people's mat leave started. The NHS one we didn't get chance to speak to each other during the sessions but shared numbers, only once babies arrived did we start chatting. It's not nearly as active as our NCT group but we've met once and because we all live in the local area there has been discussion of nearby activities and so on.
I think if you can afford the NCT one it's well worth doing.