Will NCT try to pressure me into an unmedicated birth? Your experiences please!

[Dontgetmewrong87]

Hello,
I’m quite early in my pregnancy, but I know already that, all being well, I want an epidural.

I’m thinking about NCT but from what I’ve read, and from the experiences of my friends, it sounds as though they are ideologically opposed to medicated birth. I’m a bit worried they will try and convince me otherwise or shame me. I’m just looking for a nice class where I can learn what I need to learn and meet other parents.

The other class I’m looking at is Bump & Baby which says on its website that it’s judgment free.

I’d love to hear any experiences that you may have had.

Thanks

I did NCT and they were brilliant, really impartial and went through all the pain relief options. One thing that they did point out was the cascade of interventions but I wanted to know that anyway.

We also had a pure breastfeeding session that also showed how to make and sterilise bottles, should you wish to do that.

A friend did B&B and the advantage of that was they did a first aid session, which I didn’t have at NCT.

I think NCT used to get a bad rep but my experience was it being pretty impartial

My NCT classes were great - went through all methods of giving birth with no pressure for any. We made great friends through it too who are still friends 11 years later and others who I don’t know anymore but we’re great for the baby stage!

My NCT classes didn't try and push that agenda - we were told about some more woo methods of 'pain relief' such as aromatherapy but we were taken through all the different options in quite a factual way with the pros and cons of all of them. There certainly wasn't any pressure to do anything in particular. I think it probably varies quite a lot from group to group though.

I was having an elective c section due to severe anxiety and my class leader was fine with that. She was very sensible overall. I wasn't going to be pressured! You need to be firm in your reasons and opinions.

A friend was seriously badly treated by her NCT teacher. She had a EMCS, and at the reunion afterwards the teacher told her that it was a shame she hadn’t prepared well enough to allow her a natural birth, if only she’d done all the right reading things could have been different. My poor friend felt utterly humiliated.

I gather it very much depends on the course leader, but I don’t know how you tell that in advance.

I did bump and baby, and it was great.

Did NCT twice. No pressure, and no shaming.

That's awful about the poor friend a PP mentioned who was treated so unkindly. I haven't heard of this amongst the many many friends of mine who've since NCT, so I hope it's a very isolated incident. Awful though.

I had a brilliant time with NCT classes and made some great friends. It was very supportive. I think most of us there wanted as natural a birth as possible - I did, but I ended up choosing to have an epidural.

I went to nct to make mum friends. I couldn't give a tiny shit what the nct lady thought about my birth plan and I don't think I was ever required to discuss it.

Not giving a shit what other people think will stand you in good stead for the relentless judgement heaped upon you by every man and his dog for the next 18 years (and beyond probably).

Thanks everyone who has replied to this, that’s really helpful, it sounds as though most people have had a positive experience which is very encouraging. It just goes to show how you can get worried about something that probably won’t even come to pass!

The poster who did Bump & Baby: I’d love to hear a little bit about how you found it, if you have time! Thanks

Haha excellent 😂

Yes and I regret mine. Next pregnancy im getting that epidural into my body!! You take painkillers for surgery so why not childbirth 😬

NCT can judge all they want but the simple truth is, in countries with poor medical provision giving birth is fucking dangerous. There is a reason an entire medical specialty around pregnancy and birth exists and there are women around the world who would rip an NCT leader's arm off for an epidural, forceps or an emergency CS.

Anyway I did NCT, enjoyed the classes, met some nice people, DH learned a lot about caring for a baby and when the time came I had a bloody lovely epidural :)

My NCT classes were totally focused on vaginal birth without intervention. I was told to 'mourn' for my emergency section. A lot depends on the teacher you get, some I'm sure are good, but mine was very high up in the organisation which is worrying.

My NCT leader didn’t push anything, just talked through all the different options and advised us to make our own decisions based on our individual circumstances.
If they had ‘pushed’ anything I’d have ignored it anyway, they’re not in the birthing room with you and have no say!

I had my dc many years ago so things have probably changed, but I opted not to do NCT classes because at the time the focus was on "natural" birth. Instead we did a course of 6 classes at our local health centre. They were really helpful, and we made lifelong friends.

My NCT class was impartial and the advice we were given is to make our birth plan but not rule out any option, be prepared that the plan may go to shit depending what happens on the day and be open to all forms of pain relief even if you had the mindset of not wanting an epidural. And seven years on still have a great group of friends from the classes.

I did bump and baby and it was great (but online). Like others I'd already read some books (/mumsnet) so I didn't learn much but my partner did and the course leader was lovely. No judgement of anything, just explanations of the pros and cons of each pain relief method. Socially it has been great for me - we lucked out with our group. I'd definitely give it a go and if you are unlucky with your leader just maybe disregard their ridiculousness and focus on the (hopefully friendly) mums and dads to be.

It can depend on the class leader I think.

Do remember that if that leader is pushing for ‘natural childbirth’, they’re pushing for a natural process but wanting unnatural outcomes (lower rates of mortality and harm).

@Zarene

A friend was seriously badly treated by her NCT teacher. She had a EMCS, and at the reunion afterwards the teacher told her that it was a shame she hadn’t prepared well enough to allow her a natural birth, if only she’d done all the right reading things could have been different. My poor friend felt utterly humiliated.

I gather it very much depends on the course leader, but I don’t know how you tell that in advance.

I did bump and baby, and it was great.

Ours, who was a clueless old hippie who knitted throughout the weekend of classes (I think the intended teacher had dropped out ill at the last minute) was strongly ideologically opposed to ‘medicalised birth’ and referred in horrified tones to the ‘cascade of intervention’ that would follow the moment you accepted an epidural. At our reunion, she was bustling about with a notepad checking who’d had a ‘natural birth’, but as about half of us had had heavily medicalised births and were feeling pretty good about medicine having saved our and our babies’ lives, she didn’t get any satisfaction out of us — I described my CS in the most glowing terms. And it was actually pretty nice.

My NCT leader was a local practising midwife and not ideologically opposed to anything except misinformation.

We had a section on Caesarian (see what I did there) which I found really helpful.

Ultimately, NCT is about making friends that you can text in the middle of the night. Eighteen months on, through a pandemic, and we still message multiple times a day.

My NCT course leader showed us a video on a gentle c section (I think it was from the Positive Birth Company) and went through what would happen to prepare us in case we had one.

Ha, not mine. The teacher was v pro epidural and drugs as was everyone in my group. They all thought it was bizarre that I wanted a homebirth.
I didn't find it v useful for information and I didn't get along particularly with the people in my group so I found it a total waste of time. I've since heard of better classes and wish I'd done those instead.

Also sorry just to add, we didn't choose it over NCT for any ideological reasons but just location (before it moved online), more convenient time for us and a bit cheaper. I did don't think we did first aid but I've subsequently done a baby first aid course so if it does include one that would hopefully be useful.

I bottle fed (mixed breast milk and formula because I didn’t have enough milk to EBB, before anyone comments ) and was worried that this wouldn’t go down well at Bumps & Babes. No one batted an eyelid though so I needn’t have worried. I daresay that different groups will have different attitudes, purely due to who is in them and what their mindsets are, but I felt welcomed and supported. I had a c/s and no one was disparaging about that either, merely supportive and sympathetic.

It massively varies between areas/class leaders in my experience.

We had a lovely NCT leader know Derbyshire named Alys who was brill - my waters actually broke in the last class and she was great, very calm. And when I needed an EMCS under GA she was so kind and not in any way judgemental or anything like that, she was happy DS and I were still alive!

I've heard of some weird stories though, promoting natural birth at all costs and suggesting homeopathic remedies for labour pain *

*Ingredients: water. It's good to keep hydrated during childbirth and all I suppose...