NCT or hypnobirthing course

[Pittcuecothecookbook]

Can only afford one. I've booked NCT but could get a refund as more than 4 weeks before the course starts.

Have been looking into hypnobirthing and now wondering whether the course content would be more useful for me than the NCT info. From info on here and from friends/family, everyone rates the friendships rather than the course content from NCT.

Interesting to read the responses, as I've just made the same decision, and opted for hypnobirthing over NCT! Though we couldn't do the weekly NCT classes, would have had to do them over two Saturdays, which was a factor. Someone I know who did the hypnobirthing course really recommended it, and said that their group still meets up for coffee six months on. I figured that the demographic would probably be similar across the two groups (middle-class 30-somethings, i.e. me!) so it felt like the odds of making friends through it were quite similar.

I also just wanted to add quickly that I had a very fast labour (6 hours in total) so that may have been a factor in the hypnobirthing not working for me, as the pain was too intense too quickly... I didn't have time to "get in the zone" so to speak... I think if you have a long drawn out labour (like most first labours tend to be), the pain intensifies slowly and the hypnobirthing keeps you calm and helps you to deal with the pain.

As far as the actual courses go, I can't speak for the hypnobirthing, but the NCT does cover labour... breathing exercises, labour positions, types of birth (c-section/natural), types of pain relief, as well as breastfeeding advice... and a whole range of topics I can't remember now... but if you're specifically looking for something to get you through labour, then hypnobirthing would probably be more beneficial. As far as I know, it doesn't cover the medical side of things, just teaches you breathing, and how to visualise things in your mind to keep you calm.

As far as I know, it doesn't cover the medical side of things, just teaches you breathing, and how to visualise things in your mind to keep you calm.

The course I'm doing, which is run through my local hospital, includes (according to the description they sent me) teaching on stages of labour, types of birth, etc. - it doesn't cover anything post-birth though (I am doing a separate breast-feeding class). If you do this class they say you don't need to do their antenatal one, so it must cover everything in that.

Ok, good to know... thanks @LisaSimpsonsbff :)