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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Lulubaby or The Bump antenatal classes?

14 replies

bananaramama · 11/09/2017 13:53

Has anyone tried Lulubaby or The Bump antenatal classes? Would be curious to hear what you think of them and how they may compare to NCT?

Thanks

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bananaramama · 12/09/2017 13:34

Guess they aren't that popular....?

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cherryontopp · 12/09/2017 16:26

Never heard of lulababy or the bump im afraid x

cheeriosatdawn · 12/09/2017 16:50

The Bump is very popular--within a fairly narrowly defined circle of people. Good classes. Cosy. Nice women. Super central. I was a pretty mediocre pupil (I was still working at the time and found it tough to get to Kensington by 6), so didn't get much out of it. But those who went consistently seemed to make friends they've kept for the duration. And their lists of must-haves are very good.

bananaramama · 12/09/2017 18:09

Cheeriosatdawn The Bump sounds lovely but I'm worried it might be a bit too 'jolly hockey sticks'.... was it the only antenatal course you took??

It seems to be priced v reasonably in comparison to NCT and Lulubaby.
The only NCT courses on offer in my area are full day weekend classes and I think that we might just self combust having to spend and ENTIRE wknd immersed in all things baby!!

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Whenwillwe3meetagain · 12/09/2017 18:15

I considered the others but went for NCT. Mainly because I knew that others on the course would be really local. Particularly soon after I had the baby I didn't want to travel far to see people but still wanted to get out. The thought of meeting up with people in Kensington wasn't great as coming from SW london compared to going to the local coffee shop.

cheeriosatdawn · 12/09/2017 18:48

Hahaha. That's how they present themselves, but (at least in my class) that wasn't the demographic at all. Maybe two of that ilk in a group of ~18. (Pity, really: I have a strange affinity for that sort--and the Girls With Pearls too, if I'm honest. More information than you wanted or needed, hooray.)

Anyway: a good number of expats, European and American predominantly. Mixed group of mostly professional British women otherwise.

As for the NCT vs. Bump thing, a lot of people seemed to be there because, bluntly, they thought they might have more in common in that sort of socioeconomically self-selected group (being able to talk about things like private care, night nurses, nannies, long haul travel with newborns, etc. without anyone raising an eyebrow or giving them a hard time, for example) than in a randomly assigned one. (Though given that most people seemed to live in RBKC that made no real sense.)

Ultimately, I hated the idea of all those groups--so not my thing. Way too cool. HmmSo as I said, I participated grudgingly. Very.

And that was very, very stupid.

After having a child and realising that the only people who were going to really get me were women going though the same ridiculousness at the same time...well, I wished then that I'd been more engaged.

cheeriosatdawn · 12/09/2017 18:51

But I agree with @Whenwillwe3meetagain : if I could do it again, I'd go for something super local. Bump pulls in people from all over that part of town, which, as you know, is huge--so meeting up did require commuting (which I hate under the best of circumstances).

bananaramama · 12/09/2017 23:49

Location wise Lulubaby is more suitable as I am in Marylebone so The Bump - although not miles away isn't v convenient compared to Lulubaby or NCT.

Whenwillwe3meetagain I'm a bit reluctant to join NCT as the lady has been borderline harassing me over phone and email to book and confirm. Plus the thought of two 7 hour days over a weekend is enough to make me want to shoot myself. It just seems too full on.
I had a group appointment at UCH (16-18 weeks) and after 20 mins was ready to leave!!

Cheeriosatdawn you sound quite similar to me...I'm not a fan of all these groups either.
I can totally see myself not going to any and completely winging it!!! Confused

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Whenwillwe3meetagain · 13/09/2017 02:47

Our course was weekly for a couple of hours and in a pub which was great! Any other nct courses you can join? Probably harder to bond w others over these long weekend sessions-they sound tough!

londonfeather · 13/09/2017 08:16

I finished off NCT a couple weeks ago on the double weekend course and whilst yes it was long and the content could have probably been compressed into less time it was good for the friendship element of the group. As I t allowed the women (and men) to meet each other a number of times and get more comfortable with each other which has resulted in my group with a very active WhatsApp group and numerous meet ups before the babies have been born. So if you are interested in the more social side, I would recommend.

bananaramama · 13/09/2017 10:38

Whenwillwe3meetagain no, sadly all the ones near me are only on weekends. I would much rather a couple hours in a pub over a few weeks!!!!

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cheeriosatdawn · 13/09/2017 14:16

A friend of mine buckled down, grudgingly (a euphemism) did the intensive weekend NCT and still, years later, says she met people there that she considers close friends.

I, of course, always found this seriously suspect...until I met one of said "friends" last night at a dinner and thought she was one of the loveliest people I'd met in ages. So. You never know.

Lived in Belgravia when I did the Bump and thought getting there and back was a slog. Hate sitting in cars, though, so: grain of salt. Live very close to Marylebone now, and...well. That's a real commute.

Maybe not now, but once your baby is born: what a hassle to meet up with people if most of them are down there. The horror. Again: schlepping around with an infant was up there with sleep deprivation in term of what I hated most about those first months. It's so much harder than one thinks. If you can, find friends you'll be able to walk to see. Seriously.

You could email the Bump and ask whether there's any session that has other women in it who live up here Notting Hill/Little Venice/Marylebone way? They're really nice and I'm sure would tell you. But do get on their radar soon--they book up fast.

Anyway. Sorry to be so vested in your issue. Bit odd. But boy did I make a mistake with that when I was going through it. Wouldn't want you to do the same.

bananaramama · 13/09/2017 14:46

You're right, you never know.
Thanks so much for your advice, I really do appreciate it. Yes good idea to ask the Bump where the other people are located as trekking to South Ken on a regular basis is just not going to happen!

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lucynevermind · 16/09/2017 19:04

@cheeriosatdawn v cheeky of me but would you consider sharing the must have list? Heard its great and would love to see!

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