NCT online classes?

[Kirky658]

Hiya
I'm 20 weeks on weds and starting to consider getting booked onto one of the NCT classes. I've enquired about one that starts in June but it's now going to be on Zoom rather than face to face. Has anyone had experience of the classes being hosted online rather than in person? We want to meet other couples so wondering if anyone has any experiences they could share to see if it's worth shelling out £175 😊

Yes, we did an online class last year and it was pretty good - they do lots of breakout rooms so you get a chance to chat to other couples. The mums and babies from our group have met up quite a few times now so definitely feels like it was worthwhile for us!

The online classes aren't the best & I was disappointed not to be able to join a face to face class. However joining a group did allow me to make connections with women who were having their babies at the same time as me and that has been worth the money alone! We've done WhatsApp chats and smaller meet ups and walks once the babies have arrived.

Having a baby can be an isolating experience at the best of times so I'd recommend it for that if nothing else.

I’ve just started an online one and I’m so glad I did. I have already learnt so much from just one session that I never would have known if I didn’t go to them, especially as a FTM. I don’t regret or feel disappointed in my decision at all as I felt like I basically knew nothing about labour and babies before! I imagine we will all meet up once babies are here and we already have a WhatsApp group which the course leader set up for us :)

Our NCT online course was disappointing. We didn't really learn anything, as our course leader kept sticking us in breakout rooms to discuss what we already knew about the topic, then would bring us back together to share what we discussed, but not give us any actual information or follow up on anything - so I don't know if what we heard was correct or myths, but we were all first time parents. Two of the couples dropped out after a few sessions.

Also the group WhatsApp chat is uncomfortably quiet, so it doesn't seem like we'll even benefit from meeting other local parents. I kind of wish we hadn't bothered, but at least DH's workplace health cover pays out for parentcraft classes so it didn't actually cost us anything!

We never stayed in touch with anyone as it was so awkward trying to meet new people over Zoom, but I do know others who made great connections through theirs (also online) so I suppose it depends on what type of people are in the group.

As a side note RE NCT classes in general, I only realised afterwards that people primarily signed up to them to meet other parents, as the actual stuff they go over/teach you is nothing that you won't find on Google or the NHS website and I was pretty disappointed with that side of things. I could have saved the money and I made more friends through attending baby classes once little one arrived.

We’re doing zoom NCT classes at the moment and enjoying it. It’s nice to be able to ask the NCT teacher specific questions and chat to other parents to be. I’m sure we’ll meet up for walks once the babies are here

@MarceyMc I find this really interesting as I feel like I learnt loads even just at my first one last night! We talked about what to pack in hospital bag (I know I could Google this but there are loads of different websites which I find overwhelming so find it easier if someone just tells me 😂), we also learnt about some terminology they use in the hospital I guess I could Google if I heard a word I didn’t know when I got there but not sure that’s realistic, how to encourage baby into the correct position in the final weeks (never knew this was even a thing!), all about oxytocin and how if you can stay calm it helps oxytocin production which helps speed things along and we talked about all the ways we could stay calm on the way to the hospital etc (again, didn’t know this was a thing so would never have looked it up), talked about the two options after baby is born for delivering placenta and the advantages of each (again never heard of this before so wouldn’t have looked it up myself), and I’m sure more that I can’t think of right now x

Thanks for all the feedback ladies, much appreciated. I'm a ftm and DH and I are trying to weigh up the pros of making new friends vs like you say @marceymc learning it on the NHS website! Tricky one as it's quite pricey x

@Kirky658 we posted at exactly the same time but I hope you have a read of my last comment re: learning! Was defo helpful for me as clearly I know nothing 😂

@peaplant20 love that 🤣 thanks hun you sound like me - much rather get in one place than read it 20 times over!

Do they give you any info on what to buy etc? For me that's a minefield right now! Got my 20 week scan tomorrow so want to start buying after as long as all is OK!

I've been watching the NCT website with interest as my course (early July) hasn't yet been moved to online, whereas courses in what I can only assume are busier towns (as they were selling out when I was looking before), which start later, have now been moved.

Am I being completely cynical to think that NCT are using the pandemic as an excuse to book more parents onto the courses online as they have more demand than spaces in person?

@smallgriff hate to say it - that's exactly what I thought too! Mine is due to start 21st June (conveniently DH's 30th birthday 🤣)

@Kirky658 yeah they did help with what to buy for hospital bag - like x number of vests and babygrows etc. We didn’t talk about what to buy otherwise like for nursery etc but you could defo ask! We started the session by coming up with a list of questions we had. @Smallgriff not sure about this I’m more under the impression they have more slaves than demand as my original course was cancelled due to low uptake so I was moved to another. I think a lot of people don’t want to do them online. I do however think they must be making loads of money as they are t paying to rent spaces out and only dropped the course price very slightly!

That should definitely say *spaces not slaves!!

It is a ball ache but now the country is opening up, you should be able to meet the other mums in person too. I did NCT on zoom and now meet with the others regularly, text daily and go to baby classes together.

NCT has be extra cautious. Thy are dealing with huge numbers of different venues (with their own rules) and hundreds of practitioners all with different circumstances. The NCT would rather be running face to face but safety is paramount. My understanding is face to face for antenatal won't be until September.

@Kirky658 we are also doing NCT on my hsuband's birthday!

I'm kind of annoyed that ours has moved online as I recently found a local one that was significantly cheaper and if I'd known that NCT was going online, I probably would have cancelled and just gone for the even more local one.

I'm also feeling a bit anxious about it as my friend is a midwife said 'please tell me you're using it for the social element and take what they say with a pinch of salt/don't listen to some of the advice'. I'm a FTM and I need advice - haven't got a clue what I'm doing!

NCT practitioners don't give advice so need to ignore it!

@bunny2021 haha our poor hubbies!!! Ps worrying about your midwife friends comments now, not really sure who to turn to if they don't give practical advise?! Wondering if I'm better saving £175 now and paying for a baby book or several?

I seem to be rather in the minority finding NCT useful! Re: advice, no they don’t give you medical advice and I certainly wouldn’t ask - that’s what midwives and consultants are for. But they can tell you what to expect and how to prepare. I wouldn’t expect my midwife to go through things like hospital bag and labour terminology with me and so I found those things really helpful. I don’t know many people who have had babies - at least recently - so I wouldn’t know who else to ask personally x

We have had 2 sessions online so far and really enjoying it. I think it might be luck of the draw depending on the other couples in your group and your course leader.

First few sessions have been a lot about labour that I already knew from reading, but DP has learnt loads that he wouldn't have read about himself.
Another thing I like, is that we have done these relaxation exercises and learning partner massage etc. These sorts of things I think I would feel awkward doing in a village hall with 6 other couples but being able to turn the camera off and practice those in our own home has been great.

Our NCT class moved online at the start of the first lockdown last year. The course content was OK but felt that I learnt more about the actual giving birth part from an online hypo birthing course I did as well.

However, having a group of new mums to talk to/ask questions has been completely invaluable and honestly our WhatsApp group has kept me sane over the last year! We’ve met up in small groups when restrictions have allowed but I couldn’t put a price on having people going through the same things as FTMs on the other end of the phone.

We did NCT in person for our first. We didn’t learn much, I think the facilitators can be hit and miss, and if you’d asked us at the end of the course whether we’d made any good friends we would have laughed. It’s so awkward being sat in a church hall with a load of nervous people talking about pretty intimate things...! I don’t think we would have felt any different if we’d been online.

All that changed when the babies started to arrive. The pp who said her WhatsApp group is quiet, just you wait! The mums really bonded over the shared experience of those early days and once we started to meet up (awkward at first as with any artificially created group) we quickly cemented the bond. We are now fantastic friends and it has been such a huge support having a group of parents with kids the same age.

So basically I would say that I don’t think the classes being online should really impact the friendship forming, as it is unlikely to really kick off till the babies are here. So I would definitely still go for it if that’s the reason you are doing it.

Thanks for all the really helpful advice ladies. I posted as well on a local CCG group for my area and have been highly recommended a local course, run by midwifes at a time more convenient to us and at £115 so substantially less than NCT.