Should I join the NCT for the first time even though this is baby no3?

[bobsmum]

I'm hoping for another normal delivery after I had a VBAC with dd.

This time I'm going to ask to be in the m/w unit as last time I had to have CFM etc in the higher risk unit.

As I can't have an epidural in the m/w unit, I'm wondering whether "proper" antenatal classes would help (ie not the NHS hour or so I had years ago with ds).

I've never had "real" detailed advice on breathing/relaxation/natural labour etc and as long as baby no3 doesn't mind being a guinea pig, I'm hoping that this time round I'll be more confident in myself etc etc. and be able to have a birth with as little intervention as possible.

Anyway! What are NCT classes like for birth preparation etc? Dh will need persuading that they're worth the money! Or will I learn anything new at all? Or is there an alternative?

do you like PFB / first time pregnant people in general?

Well - that's kind of what's at the back of my mind....
Will I end up just rolling my eyes at people and thinking "just you wait..."

or will I benefit at all?

I only found it useful really for meeting other mums locally.

I think you will probably be bored by a lot of it, there's quite a lot of very basic stuff and I didn't really learn anything I didn't get from elsewhere anyway.

If you just want the birth advice, can you find a pregnancy yoga/lentil-weaving birth class? If you lived in Brighton I would be able to recommend several thousand...

Hmmmm... I do have a lot of good mum friends locally already too.

A birth class would be just what I'm after I suppose. Are they as 'reputable' in terms of training?

I can get into either Glasgow or Stirling from where I live so surely there would be something available in cities of that size?

What should I be looking for?

that's a good idea, a more specific class as pw recommends.

I think the most useful one I went to was advertised as 'pregnancy yoga and active birth' - in fact active birth is probably the best buzz phrase to look out for. Your community midwife might be able to recommend some classes. Also, there is a great Sheila Kitzinger book called the New Experience of Childbirth, which goes into active birth in quite a lot of detail. SK can be a bit of a lunatic at times, but if you just pay attention to the birth physiology stuff and ignore the rest she can be very helpful.

Good luck - when are you due?

Not due til May 1st. I have my scan next Friday, but if I want to go to any of the hospital run classes I need to book then. A lot of antenatal classes seem to start from as early as 20 weeks, so I'm guessing I need to get in early.

Right so search for "active birth" - will do

Good God, no!

(Not slating the NCT btw)

Bernard -

Because.....? Have you been scarred by a previous NCT experience ?

Bobsmum - Have no experience with NCT or any post-natal group thing, tbh. Just cannot imagine being in a room full of overwhelmingly 1st time parents if I were on pg no.3!

I think you'd feel really out of place. And let's face it, you're an old hand now

I think you're right. Need to find something more appropriate.

Have found some hypnobirthing classes reasonably locally, but I'm really not over enamoured by anything with too "spiritual" a slant. I'm hoping that might just be breathing/confidence building rather than new age influenced stuff.

I guess that's why I'm steering clear of yoga too, because you can never tell when the spiritual side of things will come up. I just want exercises/advice - I don't really need to be "at one" with anything or anyone

What about aqua-aerobics at your local pool? Is that the sort of exercise you mean or are you looking for something more pregnancy-specific?

Oh I feel your pain on that one Bobsmum - that side of yoga drives me nuts. Unfortunately it can be a bit difficult to find active birthing classes that don't feature a bit of 'relaxation' jiggery-pokery. I never did manage to find anything entirely practical.

In the classes I went to, about 45 minutes was genuinely useful stuff, and the remaining 15 minutes was spent lying on your back/side on a yoga mat while someone droned on about 'letting yourself go' and 'feel yourself really relax'. If there's one thing guaranteed to send my blood pressure through the roof, it's someone telling me to relax.

I would recommend aking the community midwife, if she's at all approachable - mine had a list. Definitely avoid hypno-birthing! Also, even if you don't want to join, you might find that the chair of the local NCT knows which classes are available locally - presumably they'll have checked out the competition.

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I had a one-to-one class with an NCT lady when I was pg with no 1 and my mw had got the time/date/place of the nhs class completely wrong and it was too late to find anything else.

I think this would be really suitable in your position as everything was geared to my specific circumstances

Canmummy - Did you have to join the NCT or did you just phone them?

I'm only finding yoga. yoga and more yoga on google in my area atm

Apart from The Baby Gurus which I think may be just a leeeeeetle bit pretentious Westlife indeed.....

I go to an aquanatal class run by a midwife - very informative about exercises and also she talks about birth and thinks to do to help etc, maybe a possibility for you?

www.aquanatal.co.uk/Scotland.htm

the nct do 'refresher' courses for second/third timers and are shorter and cover more about what youd like to happen next time, coping with more kids etc

i really enjoyed mine and met lovely mums

i got loads of info about vbacs too - the teacher was lovely and supported me wholely when i decided to go for a c-section

I met one of my best friends at NCT, it was her second and she seemed to find it OK. It was her DPs first baby though, so she was partly there for his benefit (my DH somehow managed to be on a business trip every single time!)

I thought it was very good, but I'm sure it depends a lot exactly who's leading it and what the other people are like.

BellaBear - that's fab - thank you - there's one reasonably near me (and considering where I live that's saying something!)

Will search for refresher courses thanks newgirl - that might come up with more stuff.

I want to be vaguely oragnised with this pg unlike the other 2 where I just sort of drifted on towards my due date. With 2 children already I want to feel like I can at least look like I know what I'm doing rather than be clueless and sheeplike and pushed into stuff I don't want.

I need to be forearmed IYSWIM.

Bobsmum

I am going to go against the other opinions here.

I have had two vba2cs and before both went to nct courses, both times they were condensed, first one was a one dayer and 2nd time was over two afternoons.

I found that they were helpful, just on the 'what to expect' front and the breathing and also for my dh.

If I could have done I would have joined a refresher course, but they are run on a supply and demand basis.

I would not have gone to the 8 weekly evening courses that I did before section number 1

With regard to meeting people, never saw the ladies from course number one again. Course no.2, I am in email contact with them - I have moved away from the area. And yes there is a tad of the PFBs about them but I can sit back and chuckle about that.

One last thing, the lady who ran the course for vba2c no.1, we then employed as our birthing doula because she was so inspirational, baby arrived before she did but it gave us peace of mind throughout pregnancy .

Sorry that it is a long post but is a subject incredibly close to my heart.

That's really helpful boogaloo .

I'll definitely enquire about refresher courses I think. But I'll steer clear of the conventional first timer classes - I've got too many strong opinions 3rd time round - I might upset people .

I think as a VBACer I'm just so aware of trying to do everything I possibly can to avoid another section.

EVen though dd was a normal delivery, I was still 3 minutes away from another emergency section.

If I can feel even more in control and even more clued up about what I can do then at least I'll be happy knowing I did everything I could should it all go pear shaped again.