Is NCT worth it?

[artisticat]

I've heard good things about NCT classes for meeting other Mums and gaining a support network in your area.

Being the first out of my friends to have a baby this could be invaluable, I have one friend due 5 weeks after me, but she lives an hour away, so I was set on doing NCT..

Until I saw the price... £352! Is it worth it? It seems like a lot of money, we could afford it but obviously don't want to spend unnecessarily when there's so many things we need to get for baby and do in the house etc.

All opinions appreciated!

Chelsea & Westminster Hospital have doulas - don’t know if any of the North Kondon hospitals also employ doulas

@24newme
From what I’ve read and what friends have said, while NCT classes are about labour and birth they also look at being home and life with a baby which midwives often admit knowing nothing about after two weeks post birth.
Midwives will only give you information about what happens in your area and your hospitals. I think NCT tells you what you can ask for / should expect. Labour is such a small part of a parent’s journey. I would rather get other info.
Nct teachers are not there to help you give birth, that is what midwives are for. Nct is there to give you information using evidence based research (according to website) about labour and birth so you can make your own choices. Nct Teachers are professionals as they are highly trained in their job just as midwives are trained in theirs. It’s different jobs they are doing

I however hate that the NCT (IMO) seem to be coasting on this.

Yes! I did NCT classes. I’ve made good friends (so far, it’s very early days) but the classes were underwhelming. The free ones at my local hospital (Lewisham) were way, way better (taught by two very experienced midwives).

I also made friends through a local antenatal yoga class (that was useful in itself) - something to consider?

Re going to Tottenham for a slightly cheaper course - if you do make friends, you’ll inevitably end up meeting up where the majority live. I know it’s not miles away from Walthamstow, but I ended up doing NCT somewhere slightly out of my neighbourhood for logistical reasons, and I now sit in traffic there and back at least once a week.

I didn’t do NCT because we were planning to move from the area I had my baby within 2months of birth so knew I wouldn’t be able to meet up etc. We then resettled in a totally new city where I didn’t know anyone and didn't drive. I still managed to make some nice Mummy friends and always had some activity planned. You do need to put yourself out there though, get yourself and baby to local groups and check out Facebook for groups and meet ups. Not saying I’m against nct, I am sometimes a little envious of my other friends who have made some nct friends “for life” and seem to totally love them! However, I’m not sad I didnt do it. My husband and I did a free day NHS course which was really very good and informative. That with avid baby book prep reading, we were fine.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck with the decision re nct Xxx

I’ve not used them, but friends also swear by the apps Mush and Peanut to make friends.

Midwives do a degree in their subject, NCT leaders are no way as highly trained! Seriously!

For Walthamstow it’s worth looking at hypnobirthing with Jo Redmond as an alternative or complement - although the demographic is similar (middle class, mostly white etc) - it’s been very social so far and we have a what’s app group etc, and Jo also does baby massage and yoga classes post-birth with her daughter.
hypnobirthingwithjo.com

I’ve also just done NHS classes at Whipps Cross which were fantastic but it was a big group and no one really seemed interested in keeping in touch unfortunately. I am booked in for NCT classes in a few weeks and am expecting the content to be less good but hopefully people more social (and closer to me than E17). We signed up for NHS classes after paying for NCT and am expecting lots of duplication, but am pleased in hindsight for the opportunity to meet more local mums.

They are highly trained the THEIR roles. Is an electrician not as good at his job as a midwife at theirs because he doesn't have a degree in it? You can be highly trained in a role but not have any bits of paper.

It doesn't change things that midwives are trained in labour and birth and then on top of this are asked to talk to parents about it whereas antenatal teachers are trained to deliver the info. I am guessing you have had a bad experience with nct as otherwise I am not why you are so down on the teachers

I really wouldn't describe NCT teachers as "highly trained". They do something like 5 days of training in a really complex area. They are often doing NCT courses as a sideline to their real job (they can't possibly be running enough courses to earn a living from it). Describing them as enthusiastic amateurs is much more accurate than calling them professionals.

No bad experience of the NCT I'm just pointing out that in some ways the NHS classes are better because they're being given by people who deliver babies every day.

The electrician analogy doesn't work. But no I wouldn't hire an amateur electrician.
NCT leaders aren't highly trained though as midwives and electricians are. They are the absolute definition of enthusiast amateurs! Lovely well meaning people but mostly zero experience of delivering babies. They do proper training but it doesn't involve getting anywhere near an actual birth.

NCT are not highly trained! My teacher was full of false facts about the risks of different birth settings. I had to point out to her what the research actually showed..

Ours was also infuriatingly opinion / discussion based. So in the section on different methods of pain relief the facilitator just asked us what we thought about different types, rather than convey any factual information. I can’t speak for anyone else but I ended up more confused after that class than before.

None of my friends who've done nct have recommended it for the antenatal info, rather they say it's about meeting other parents at the same stage as you and having people to meet for coffee etc everyday in the first part of mat leave.

Yes but you also meet people at the NHS antenatal and post natal classes I'm still friends 10 years later with the people I met. So if you can't afford NCT or don't want to do it don't worry

I have a bit of experience of NCT as I volunteered and was on my local branch committee for a few years and also worked in their offices for a short while, so here we go:

The NCT teacher training takes 3 years and is run by a university (might be Worcester, can't remember) and you apply through UCAS. It involves regular tutorials, study days, exams and weekend training workshops plus 15 hours a week home study. I can't remember the total number of contact hours they do but it is a lot more than 5 days. The final qualification is Level 5, and I think they also do an advanced Level 6 qualification. It is all externally validated and after qualifying they have to renew their licence every year which involves so many hours of refresher training and study days their classes have to be observed by a tutor. Most of this is probably on the NCT website and obviously you can ask about your teacher's qualifications and discuss their training before signing up for classes with NCT or any other organisation.

I don't think you can compare NCT teachers to midwives - it's a different job in the same way that nobody would describe midwives as amateurs because they aren't obstetricians. NCT teachers do have to take exams on the factual stuff, but they also train in teaching skills, running courses, counselling and a lot more postnatal stuff than midwives would need to know.

the true function of the NCT is middle class bum sniffing Rubbish! They are regulated by the Charity Commission so report them if you seriously believe this, but it's a shame when this type of comment stops people who might really benefit from the support they can get from NCT classes or breastfeeding counsellors or going to NCT baby groups. There were no yummy mummies in my NCT course - not surprisingly because my area is far too unfashionable! They do also do free and subsidised class places for low incomes.

One of the reasons I volunteered for the NCT is because I got endless free help with breastfeeding from them. The help I got from midwives was terrible and still really upsets me. I rang the NCT helpline a few times and also the local (and highly trained) NCT breastfeeding counsellor came to my house 2 or 3 times and talked to me on the phone and was brilliant, really helpful and kind and not at all judgy - it's hard to describe the huge difference that help made to me when I was depressed, in pain, and feeling like a rubbish mum who couldn't cope. This is why I get quite defensive when the NCT is criticised because I don't know where I would have got that support if I'd been put off contacting the NCT by the kind of comments some people have put in this thread.

Depends on what is available for you locally.

I was never offered proper ante-natal classes via my midwife/GP - we had one 'parentcraft' class and that was all.
My NCT class was therefore very useful to me as I find however much you read, it is never as good as discussing issues in person.
We had an absolutely brilliant teacher who was very factual - unlike my poor Dsis who's was rather 'airy fairy feely' and she didn't actually learn much. The Dads all attended ours right through to the end whereas in my sister's class they stopped attending after a couple of sessions.

I stayed in close contact with my NCT antenatal group until we all started moving away from the area (until the children were about 5).

BUT
You don't have to do classes to get closely involved with NCT. I also joined up with the local neighbourhood group and 25 years later, we still meet up for lunch once a month.

Some branches will also fit those who didn't/couldn't do the classes into a group with babies due the same time - we had a lady join ours and she remained as much part of the group as those who attended classes right up until the group stopped meeting. It's always worth asking if yours will do this.

One of the best things I spent money on. Didn't make friends for life but did meet a great group of ladies who were a lifesaver in the early weeks. There are so few baby groups you can go to with a newborn and it's great to have some friends who will welcome you into your home when you're a sleep deprived zombie with milk stains on your clothes. I'd have saved money on a buggy or something else to do it.

NCT waltham forest have free monthly bump and baby meet ups in Walthamstow (also Leytonstone). The details are on their website, these might be a good way to meet mums with similar age babies.

Our children have now graduated and have started their careers and some of us are still in touch.

It was expensive but a great investment. I met some lovely friends and 6 years on we still meet up regularly with and without the children. These women have seen me at my best and worst. I knew very few people who were due the same time as me and it was invaluable going through the same experience as other people at the same time, even just to chat to someone on the phone / message in the middle of the night when we were all up feeding, etc. The NCT friends gave me the confidence to go out to baby classes and groups early on as it is always easier to go when you meet a familiar face there. My NCT group included women who did not just live in my town but also a short drive away. I doubt I would have met all of them through just the local baby group circuit so it has been great to widen my circle of friends. The material was very useful too and I learned a lot as a first timer. The NHS course offered nearby was not nearly as useful and it was too short to meet anyone new.

However, I did the NCT refresher course when I was pregnant with my second child hoping to have the same experience and in the end my group was cobbled together by people who lived up to 30 minutes away and the age gaps of our children were very different. This made it a lot harder to meet up or maintain friendships. In hindsight I don't think the refresher course was worth it.

No, emphatically not. Look into what the NHS offers (for free). They did a course of 2 half days where I am. Also look into baby and todder groups near you. You'll meet lots of other mums there.

£300 is a lot of money, and babies are expensive so save it, even if it is just for inessentials to make your life easier like some nice ready meals, or a baby sitter for when the baby is a bit older so you can get some me time.

I didn't bother first time round, and made loads of friends from other less expensive groups. I did second time (a refresher course for second time mums was £95). It wsn't worth the money and none of the group stayed in touch.

I did them the first time round and met a group of women that I stayed in touch with for about a year after, but I never really clicked with any of them individually. Our weekly coffee meet ups were good though, as it meant I had something planned and had to get out of the house and there's nothing like spending time with others who are also going through things for the first time while you are. Most of my really good "baby" friends were made after I'd had my first, at playgroups / baby massage classes etc, and I met 2 girls at the ante natal classes at the hospital, 12 years later we are still really close.

The NCT classes themselves were a total waste of time and money.

Personally I'd spend the money on a doula for the birth (student doula for around £600 I think).
I'd do the (free) NHS classes and then join (free) baby groups after birth and take everybody's number then. The health visitors can tell you when these are. Also join Facebook groups and antenatal clubs online.
A big issue with NCT is that (despite all the claims of being evidence based) they remain pro-natural-childbirth and therefore won't tell you about possible complications (they tend to present instrumental deliveries as just another natural delivery for example or skim over the fact that you roughly have a 60% chance of a vaginal delivery against a 40% chance of c-section or instruments).
All the best 😊

There are no NHS classes where I live hence everyone seems to do NCT. All the baby groups are full of groups of friends from NCT arriving en masse.

Our NCT teacher was pretty well balanced actually, talked about instrumental and c section deliveries in detail and acknowledged that many of us would have one or the other (4 of 8 ended up with c section).

welshweasel
Your teacher must have because you're booked for a planned c-section. Or it could be your medical training?

The general feedback I get from other mums is that NCT and other antenatal class providers do not address complications.