NCT online classes

[confused107]

We have just had notification that our NCT course due to take place in October has been moved online. As someone who has been stuck at home working and on zoom/teams all day I'm just fed up of it and can't imagine sitting on it for a whole Sunday for the course. We are also FT parents and were especially looking forward to the practical aspects of the course and meeting other parents.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with the 'online' NCT course? Is it worth doing or should we try and cancel?

I am doing my first NCT class online tonight. 2.5 hours (not great after a day of work, mainly on zoom calls!). Will report back tomorrow as to what it was like.

Thanks @WhatWouldPennyDo that would be great

Ours isn't until October to surprised they have moved it online so early when other providers are still advertising face to face meetings but I don't know if they will refund

Hey OP

I was in the same boat as you - work from home and have numerous zoom calls and video calls daily. Didn't really fancy another zoom call however, having just completed the course (we had 2.5 hours, twice weekly, over 3 weeks) - its actually been totally fine!

Our NCT trainer was a really great and funny lady! The other couples were also all really nice and we started a WhatsApp group straight away! We've met once since and meeting again next weekend.

I'd say on Zoom you have to make more of an effort overall - you'll be put into breakout rooms to discuss some topics or questions and then go back to the 'main room' so, if you want to maximise getting to know the others, you'll have to be as engaged as possible.

We really enjoyed it!

@confused107 Mine is October as well! So I got the same email as you. I was disappointed as yeah I really did want a bit of 'hands on' training...but tbh I'm not really surprised as it's just not going to be safe to do it by then any more than it is now :( which is a bit shit.

@LASandOtto this is really encouraging to hear. I am feeling pretty positive about it overall despite disappointment as I'm sure they will make a lot of effort to ensure it's still useful and they have plenty of practice doing it, and will have had lots of feedback on what works particularly well! Plus although there's lots available for free or very cheap online I doubt if it would be as individualised or personalised as this will be.

Thanks @Hanrora06 and @LASandOtto

I think I'm going to cancel as there are other service providers still planning on running face to face courses in my area in October. I don't really understand why they have cancelled so far in advance as the government advice has not changed. The email states it's too dangerous for women to attend in the third trimester, but I checked the NHS website and there is nothing on there to suggest that. I understand that the situation is very changing, and I could book with someone else and end up doing that online of course...

It’s a ‘meh’ from me. My hospital antenatal classes are way better. Found the group leader a bit preachy and we were given information that was contrary to the guidance issued by the hospital. Hopefully the next session will be better.

Not sure what's been going on with NCT but I've had an email today cancelling my baby massage class in sept. It was meant to be face to face but they cancelled that and also aren't doing it by zoom either. Blaming the virus but I find it a little odd since they aren't doing it online either which they have been doing up until now.

I'm not sure how useful I found NCT in the first instance (I did it pre-virus) but I think I would have really struggled via zoom.

@confused107 and @Hanrora06 I got the same email RE October being moved to Zoom. Also disappointed and feel like it’s slightly premature, but not sure what other options are out there. Have you found anything else still advertised as face to face that look like good alternatives?

At @Wise0wl there is a organisation called little stork who are still planning on running face to face classes in October local to me. It's about the same price as the NCT. I appreciate it could all change of course, but think im going to cancel the NCT and book that and take the chance. Just can't stand the thought of more zoom!

Thanks for the feedback @WhatWouldPennyDo and @Crimblecrumble1990 I haven't heard about anything being run by the NHS/ local hospital. I think they may have all been cancelled due to COVID but will ask my midwife when I see her next week

I don't think I learnt anything significant at my NCT classes, but then I was an avid reader of all the pregnancy/ baby books. What I did get from my NCT classes was a ready made group of friends that I still see regularly 17 years later. Whether that's worth it (the friends) will depend on your personal situation.

I've decided not to have the online NCT classes as I was interested in the f2f interaction rather than the info presented. I've been reading lots of books, doing lots of research and my midwife is great in terms of the advice she been giving me. Whether you make friends or not during the online classes is a lottery for me as it is harder to engage when you are not seeing people f2f but I've also heard lots of good stories with mommies who bonded online.

Does anybody know of any good books/YouTube videos to watch as an alternative to antenatal classes? I haven’t been interested in NCT but doesn’t look like NHS classes will be on either and I’d really like to have some sort of birth knowledge going in(!) as a FTM

@confused107 yeah that's fair enough - TBH I think I'd do the same if I paid full price. As I didn't, I'm happy to pay like £30 for it- but I certainly wouldn't pay over £200.

I think the guidance in the email is a little bit confusing, and that is because there is a discrepancy between guidance in different places you look and unfortunately they do make you search pretty hard for it. I'm pretty disappointed that the NHS hasn't updated its guidance regarding the 28 weeks thing, as far as I can find anyway. The government guidance on this is obviously vague. Like of course as pregnant women we're clinically vulnerable full stop, which they mention is on the NHS website. But in terms of the third trimester specifically, the NCT email is talking about the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which has given guidance to say the third trimester is when social distancing needs to be at its strictest, as most hospitalised women due to covid are in their third trimester (more on that here: www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/)

This all basically comes down to the fact that if you are working in a public facing role past 28 weeks that can only happen if the risk assessment done by your employer allows it- what this means in practice for is a little bit less clear and will depend on the setting. So, if that's still the guidance, if we can't go to work because we can't be guaranteed that we can stay 2m apart we can't go to antenatal classes or anywhere else really....

I think based on all of this, it's incredibly unlikely if not impossible that any face to face antenatal classes will start up again this year. I assume there are none happening anywhere, I'd be interested to know if anyone has had any at all. For example, even the DfE now is following the RCOG guidance about women past 28 weeks for pregnant women who work in schools (like me) and there are plenty of other organisations who mention it, e.g. www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-employers-your-duties-pregnancy-and-maternity

So yeah- TL;DR past 28 weeks you are recommended to socially distance even more than before, SO it's unlikely face to face antenatal classes will go on in this context even if they're still scheduled to at the moment.

@Sls668 hi! FTM also. I can recommend a few of the things I've found, these are my favourites so far!

These are a few books-

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes. It's American so obviously lots is less relevant but it's still got some really interesting information on things I knew nothing about like the placenta, the history of midwifery etc.

Expecting Better - Emily Oster. All about the data and research around pregnancy. She's American but they've attempted to make it more relevant to the UK, though tha'ts not always possible, but it's still pretty good.

Give Birth Like a Feminist - Milli Hill. It's a bit long but it is British and so more relevant to us. It's very useful in terms of birth plans and giving advice on how to advocate for yourself as a mother, and how to be confident to make your own choices. She also runs the Positive Birth Company, which I follow on Instagram, and they run a few antenatal classes- there's one I signed up to about breastfeeding, I haven't watched it yet but it sounds useful!

You can also use PBC to find your local pregnancy co-operative. In the same 'online' category I'd recommend if you haven't already finding your due date group on Facebook, just search Due Data [whatever] and something should come up.
thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk/

There is also this free online antenatal class we're doing this Saturday which there's been a few recommendations for, mybabyacademy.co.uk/online-antenatal-class/

Oh and lastly I watched Babies on Netflix, which I LOVE. It's not really about pregnancy, but it is still really interesting about babies and the research around them. Definitely recommend!

@Wise0wl see the stuff above, I basically don't think anything is going to be face to face for us...but I could be wrong. I know my NHS stuff is not happening and my midwife didn't think it was anywhere near likely it would be later in the year :(

I think you might be right @Hanrora06 It's difficult to know how the year is going to map out, and the advice is changing all the time and so bloody confusing! I'm
Going back into the office next week (at 24 weeks). To be honest I'm glad to be as I'm going mad at home and I have had a risk assessment. Also 'shielded' has ended now so there will be people in the office that are at much bigger risk than I am. Unless the guidance changes we are going to carry on as normal until a couple of weeks before the due date. Mainly because I'm scared of my husband having a temperature for any reason and not being allowed into the birth

I've booked on to a little stork class. Lady seems lovely and even if it ends up online it's only a couple of hours in the evening rather than two Sunday mornings sat in front of a screen. I've had an email from NCT saying they will refund I want

@Sls668 I'm currently reading 'how to grow a baby and push it out' that was recommended. I like it because it's lots of very short bits only a couple of pages long.

We did the online nct course in June and really enjoyed it. It was good to be able to mute the mic and discuss what we were being told with my partner and do a bit googling for extra information

Our course was run by one of the midwives in our local hospital so she was able to tailor the sessions to what will happen at our local maternity ward which was really helpful.

We have several what's app groups now (everyone, mums and dads) which are helpful and will be more helpful in a few weeks when our babies start arriving. Our reunion is meant to be in October and that will be online as nct are pausing all face to face interactions until the end of Oct at the earliest. We are hoping to meet as a group separately, some were able to meet up last week.

ps it's likely no coincidence that the majority of pregnant women are diagnosed with COVID in the third trimester as when we go in to the hospital to have the baby is likely the only time we will be tested unless we have symptoms!

I just finished the online NCT course a couple of weeks ago and thought it was really good! Yes, two whole Saturdays in front of the screen was quite tiring but the course leader was great and we learnt a lot. There were also lots of breakout sessions so we could chat a bit more easily with the other couples.

For me the main reason for booking on was to meet some more parents in my area and it definitely did the trick - we were all added onto a Whatsapp group before the course and since the course finished we've been chatting on there, have all met up for a picnic once and have another meet-up in person scheduled for this week.

I would have much preferred to do the course in person but I still feel like it was good value for money. If you're just after information then of course you could just read a book, but for me making contact with other parents was the most important thing and I don't know how I would have managed that otherwise, particularly with all the baby groups etc round here being cancelled!

Hi!

I just wanted to say that I've just completed the online NCT class and really recommend it. I learnt a lot and you can ask questions of the leader that you can't ask a book! My DH found it incredibly useful too as he's not much of a reader and enjoyed the interaction with others (albeit online)

We have three WhatsApp groups now (main with leader and BF consultant then a mums one and a dads one) The mums use the group quite a lot for info sharing etc. We're planning a meet up soon to meet in person.

Also, I like the fact now that I have people I can contact if I have questions as their support is ongoing.

Yes, I would have preferred f2f but given the circumstances, I thought this was great!

@confused107 yeah it's a nightmare isn't it! and I think it's hard to figure out the science at times and how it's being interpreted...That's great you'll get your refund though, and the little stork sounds good!

I think yeah with regards to the third trimester thing it's tricky- as far as I can tell it's not just being diagnosed, it's being hospitalised. So it's not 'women in their third trimester are more likely to be diagnosed with covid' (though that may well also be true for the reasons you said about being tested), it's 'women in their third trimester are more likely to be seriously ill and hospitalised with covid'. So, we may get it at any point, and if we're otherwise low risk may well still either get it really mildly or be asymptomatic as we're younger and whatever else, but later in the pregnancy you're more likely to get it really badly and go into hospital with it, as far as I can tell...(especially women from BAME communities). This applies to any other serious respiratory illness, hence our free flu vaccine.

Following as I'm in the same position. I don't mind doing it on Zoom but was looking forward to meeting other parents and so was my partner. It's good to hear some positive experiences.

Thanks so much @Hanrora06 - such a useful list!

Just to update you I had a call from NCT this afternoon. The lady was lovely and reiterated many of the points that have been made on this thread. It's a shame, but I can't face spending two Sunday mornings on Zoom as well as all of the other sessions

I think that there is a big chance that the other class Ive booked may move online. Though it's 4 x 2 hour sessions on a Wednesday evening so much more manageable if it does which is what has influenced our decision in the end. Plus there is also still a chance (however small) that it will take place face to face. We will be charged a £30 admin fee by NCT for cancelling which I'm ok with as I realise they are a charity so will probably end up paying more in the end, but the decision has been made now!

Will also check out some of those books. Thank you

We did ours as two full days in May/ June. It was ok, we met others and have kept in touch over WhatsApp however I wouldn't say it was the same as being in person.