Bump and Baby Club

[apples83]

I’m considering signing up to a Bump and Baby Club antenatal class and was wondering what to expect?

Things I’m hoping to avoid are any sort of role play, going round the room introducing yourself and sharing a “wacky fact” about yourself, and “getting to know each other” type games and activities. I’m quite shy and hate that sort of thing!

Has anyone been on one of these courses and how did you find the format?

Ha, I'm with you on hating 'wacky' icebreakers! I did Bump and Babies and thought it was absolutely fantastic. The lady that ran it worked as a doula and was the most gentle, accepting lady, but clearly a tough cookie when required. I was a little bit in love with her. It probably massively depends on who you get though - a different lady ran the first aid session, and she was The Worst. She wasted a lot of time with a 'fun' game where she guessed what gender our babies would be, mostly telling us that what the sonographer had said was wrong. Yay.

The format might not be to your taste though - there is a heavy lean towards making friends and there was a lot learning through sharing. Nothing hugely intimate, but we were all expected to contribute to group-based activities, and then usually a designated spokesperson shared for the group. This was almost always the lads as we ladies were all hot, tired and very sodding pregnant. I would have been happier with a series of lectures, honestly, but the group work did help me get to know everyone. Feel free to ask me any specific questions, or email Bump and Babies - they are lovely people. Apart from the dumb first aid lady...

Thanks @CoolNoMore! What type of group activities were there? I think I could just about manage that (although like you, I’d prefer a series of lectures) as long as I’m not the designated spokesperson!

We did it and it was great.

Extremely helpful information, and none of the preachy-ness I was worried about with NCT. The course leader was fantastic, too.

The babies are now a few months old and the group is still a brilliant support system.