NCT courses- are they mostly first time mums?

[winterplease]

I regretted not doing an NCT course after my first son, as all of the baby classes I was taking him to it felt like a lot of the mums already knew each other from NCT, and I found it tricky to make friends.

I'm now pregnant with my second, and would like to attend the course to make some mum friends as I'm relatively new to this area. Would I be the only second time mum there?

Hi OP. This was a long time ago for me but I went to NCT classes for my second. This was so helpful for me as like you, I was new to the area (and worked full time in the city so knew no one locally). Lots of connections made that way.

For me also was helpful as I’d been ill with pre eclampsia with my first, hospitalised for a while, so missed all but the first class I’d signed up for. Additionally there were 12 years between first (traumatic birth and completely wrong breast feeding advice from my mother who had never breast fed) and second child so I very much needed the advice and camaraderie. Go for it!

In my group there were 7 new mums and 1 mum having her second child.

They are mostly first time mums but no reason why you cant go as a second time mum. You may find you have less in common with them though, for example my group used to take our babies to cafes when they were tiny - would not have been suitable with a toder running around.

It was all FTMs in my group but there's no reason for you not to go. I actually think it would have been helpful to have a more varied group.

Have you tried an app called mush? NCT is quite expensive so if you just want to make friends you can download the app for free and link up with mums in your area. Baby classes are great to. It'll probably be a lot cheaper than nct.

All first time mums in my group but I’m pregnant again and in a new area so going to sign up again, mainly for the social side.

NCT do 'refresher' courses for people having their second (or third etc) child www.nct.org.uk/courses-workshops/nct-antenatal-refresher-course My experience of the regular course was that it was all first time parents.

They do refresher courses which are better if you're a STM. It's just easier to coordinate things if you're on the same page ie other people in the group are working around toddlers too. I joined a group near me which is about half and half FTMs and STMs and the FTMs always want to do impractical things like meet at 3 in the afternoon when I really want to get things rolling on the dinner, tidy up, bath, bed routine by about 4/4.30.

The Daisy Foundation has a class called Daisy Birthing and that is popular with both.
It’s a 6 week course and offers so much inc breathing/movement/education and relaxation.

There are teachers all over the UK, you can find your closest here:

thedaisyfoundation.com/find-a-class/

Congratulations by the way x

We have second time parents in our NCT group. Obviously sometimes it is more difficult for them to engage in meet ups as they have their older child to take into consideration.

Also if you haven't done courses before and it's been a few years since your first it's good as guidelines may have changed. I know they found it useful. We all have a whatsapp group and they engage as much as some of the first time parents do. I would go.