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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

NCT Group

12 replies

OneBigToDoList · 18/05/2022 13:59

Hi all,

Was wondering if anyone could offer some advice/personal experiencer! I'm pregnant with my first baby and looking into NCT to hopefully meet other mums where I live. There is only one class in my local area which ends around two weeks before my due date. I'm just wondering if I will be very ahead of the other mums, or if there tends to be a mix of due dates in the group? There is another class a bit further out I can join which works better with my due date, but I don't want to have to travel to another area for casual coffees etc with (my hypothetical lol) mum friends. Would you opt for a local class with not-perfect dates, or a class further away?

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RioDJ · 18/05/2022 14:06

Local class definitely. Good luck!

NetflixAndSauvignonBlanc · 18/05/2022 14:16

I can't remember when my NCT ended compared to my due date but I would say that if you chose the local class and have your baby first then you will be the one who has all the experiences first and your new mummy friends will be asking you for advice. We had quite a spread of due dates in my class and it didn't matter in terms of the group bonding and becoming friends, having meet ups etc.

I actually did aN NCT class slightly further from home because it suited me better for other reasons. I didn't mind driving to meet up with the others, sometimes I found it's actually easier if your baby can nap in the car on the way there or the way home. I also used the Peanut app to make more local mummy friends.

PhoenixSTL · 18/05/2022 14:30

I had the exact same dilemma. After speaking to my friends who had taken NCT classes in our local area, they all recommended to take the local class. They said that some of the mums had their babies between the first and second session.

So we've booked our NCT class, which starts just under 2 weeks from our due date. I'm mostly anxious of missing information that would help me prepare for the birth, in case our baby arrives early (my midwife keeps telling me that the first baby normally arrives after the due date, but that wasn't the case for my sister). So I'm also taking some free online courses, just in case.

Original poster

OneBigToDoList · 18/05/2022 15:01

Thank you all, that's so helpful! I am leaning towards the local group so think I'll book that in. Peanut app and online courses are both great suggestions that I hadn't thought of too. Thanks again x

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itssquidstella · 18/05/2022 16:45

I’ve just done NCT classes which ran when I was 37 and 38 weeks pregnant (I’m 39+3). One baby has already been born; I’m the next in line but another lady is having a c section next week and then there's a range of due dates over the next six or so weeks.

I was also worried about leaving it too late and being miles ahead of everyone else, but it's actually worked out really well!

BobbleWobble1 · 18/05/2022 17:26

If you're aiming to make mum friends, 100% the local class.

I think I was around 37 weeks at the end of our course and wasn't the first to have my baby. Actually a few of us were very close with dates.

We did our course a bit further out for various reasons. Totally regretted it as everyone lived so far away from each other that the group didn't gel at all.

Lockdownmummy · 18/05/2022 17:35

I would do local. But have you looked at any other providers? There are quite a lot of different ante natal classes springing up around us so you might find another class that is local and suits date-wise too.

InTheNightWeWillWish · 18/05/2022 17:43

It doesn’t matter too much about your date, you’ll all jiggle around when the babies decide their coming whenever they want. I think the mum in our group had the second due date has one of the youngest babies because she went to 42 weeks and the later due dates were all born at 38-39 weeks. If you are the first, you might have a few weeks on your own while everyone catches up but you’ll still be going through the same things as them.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 18/05/2022 17:50

I'd go for the further away one; if I'm honest... We had ten people in ours; nine due within two weeks of each other, and one due 9 weeks before. She seems to have made a new group of friends who are closer in age to her baby; she comes to see us occasionally but that feels like a big gap when they're small. One lady had her baby five weeks early and she also comes to a few things but has also made friends with people with closer babies... Their babies were babbling/having sleep regressions/teething/moving/weaning so much before ours, and needed different types of entertainment.

The rest of us, who had babies across three weeks, see each other twice a week or so on average. One lives forty minutes away but makes it over to see the rest of us once a week, we do a baby class together and then have lunch.

I have a close friend who has a son who was born in March; mine was born in December, and right now; the gap between them feels massive. We still talk lots, but we don't do much baby stuff together, really.

The NCT is great at matching people with a group that has similar due dates, in my experience.

NotYourOscarSpeech · 18/05/2022 17:58

We had a range of due dates, generally around September time. I went two weeks late and was the latest in mid October, the earliest were twins who came early after an elective CS at the beginning of August. So a big spread!

Original poster

OneBigToDoList · 18/05/2022 18:21

Thanks everyone, I wish you could see the due dates of people who had already signed-up!
That's what I'm a bit concerned about @TakeYourFinalPosition - I think I'd really benefit from the support of mums going through the same things as they happen, but on the flip side I'd really like to make more friends locally and baby feels like the ideal time to do that. I also have friends that didn't really click with anyone so also I guess it isn't a given I'll make any friends (so many unknowns in pregnancy lol) That's a good idea to research some other providers too @Lockdownmummy

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TakeYourFinalPosition · 18/05/2022 18:36

@OneBigToDoList You could maybe email the course leader? They'd probably be happy to tell you how "out" you are... My NCT sessions finished in October, and I was due at the end of December.

But also; I was moving house, so took the risk of choosing the NCT group that was closer to my due date (and closer to the new house); and then planning a few baby groups closer to the old house, incase we hadn't gone, so I'd have friends in both places. That worked quite well for us. The NCT is established enough that it would have worked to travel to; and the classes would have been good because they are local enough to have a casual drink after, or whatever. Just incase that thinking helps you at all!

I'm sure you can't go far wrong whatever you do, but for me, I've found having people that are going through things at the same time is invaluable and really bonding. It's lovely to be able to chat to them at night when the sleep regression is actually happening; or send a quick SOS has anyone had this message and get pretty quick replies, and the people with the older babies just don't seem to have had that.

(But it is probably really person-dependant, too, so I can only talk from my experience in this one group!)

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