NCT courses- any good?

[rieb95]

Hey,

So I've heard about the NCT antenatal courses and was considering signing up for one. But I've heard very mixed reviews of people saying the content itself is poor and they are only really good for making friends...

I don't have any pregnant friends so that would be a bonus but I just wondered what your experiences had been of the courses if you did one ? I don't have much knowledge of looking after a baby so even if they covered things very basically I think it may still benefit me. I just don't want to spend the money if one of the free courses would be just as good 🤷

Thanks for your advice

I contacted my local NCT each time I was pregnant (2 DC's now 18 and 16) and I never received a reply either time. I had a better experience with my post-natal group led by a Health Visitor, met another new mum there and we've been friends for years.

12 years on and still the best money I ever spent but I got incredibly lucky with the friends. We still laugh about the content! It’s the luck of the draw OP, but If you get lucky, it’s worth its weight in platinum.

I didn’t opt for nct- reasons why:
I did the nhs course which was a few hours and all I needed to know imo.
i have friends, very few friends with babies but I don’t need friends with babies, I needed good friends when I felt exhausted or fed up or just wanting to talk about something other than babies
I’d rather have the money

I didn’t do NCT but did classes with Bump and Baby Club and I really enjoyed them and it was a lovely bunch of people!

Aside from the making local friends who are going through the same thing as you point (which is an important one), through NCT I was offered an optional extra breastfeeding class. It was only 90 minutes but it was brilliant and meant that when DD first attempted to latch on I could see she was doing it wrong, helped her adjust and bingo - she got it. I don't know how many weeks of painful unsuccessful breastfeeding that class saved me!

But yeah, the main NCT wasn't that valuable and the leader was quite anti pain-drugs/c-sections. As a group we all agreed that we would stick up for each other's choices if she seemed to making anyone feel ashamed of them. I'm very glad I did it, but it's not for everyone.

I've just finished my NCT classes a couple of weeks ago. We found it very helpful as thankfully the group seems to have gelled with both a "mums" meet up and "dads" meet up already happened and that's before the babies have been born!

I didn't get too much from the session that focused more on the anatomy and physiology of birth but then that's more my background, however my husband found that very informative and useful. We both took quite a lot from the session on how to look after a baby - feeding, sleeping, bathing, slings, nappies etc

As other have said it's a bit pot luck in terms of who attends and the leader. Our leader was very balanced and informative trying to give both sides o where possible and would go off and find answers/research to anything she wasn't sure of. She did say our group was quite chatty compared to some which helped the group gel.

(Our group seemed to be all 30+ professional couples, most have a dog(s) and from most couples one is not originally from the area so doesn't have the largest support network.)

Yes, I personally found the course really interesting. It covered a lot of information I didn't previously know about birth, pain relief, options I'd have etc as well as breastfeeding and nappy changing options.
I agree, having a great person leading the group was probably the main reason I loved it so much. As a group, we went on to do a solid food workshop with the same lady later down the line and we all still keep in touch.
I found it invaluable to have that group of new parents to talk to in the early stages. No one better understands what you're going through than another first time parent in my experience!

From memory, yes we covered those things.
Our lady actually brought in cloth nappies and disposables which I found really interesting.

We did the nct course online during lockdown which obviously impacted on how well we clicked with the others in the group and I guess how enjoyable it was. But we found the content was good. Covered nappy changes, bathing, feeding, birth and the emotional side of things.

I also went on to do the positive birth company online hypnobirth course which I found a lot more informative re birth. Particularly what your body was doing, why it hurts. I certainly wasn't aiming for a candle lit, affirmations chanting birth but definitely used the breathing techniques and found it so helpful to know what my body was doing.

We did our NCT in February 2020.

I cannot explain to you, I genuinely have tears in my eyes now just thinking of it, how that whatsapp group of fellow mums giving birth into a brand new pandemic saved my life.

Even in non-crazy times, I’d pay ££££££ as a new mum to have that instant support group. The course itself was great, even though I had a section, but it was the group that made it. I’m off on a day trip with one of the mums and our toddlers now.

I did it. The content was largely useful. Breastfeeding chat was utter crap though. Kids are now starting A levels and I'm still in touch with some of the mums. Tbh that group was a lifesaver in the newborn days - really nice and supportive, not awful and competitive at all.

My leader was very nice, but was at pains to tell us that the course was not about looking after a baby but how to give birth to a baby and a bit about establishing feeding. We learnt all about exactly what happens to the body before, during and immediately after labour, and all about pain relief options. I didn't feel like any of that was really useful for me in the end because I was induced for pre-eclampsia and ended up with an ECS. Didn't even feel a single contraction.

However, as PP have said, it can be invaluable as a support network if you end up with a decent group, or even if there's just one other person there who you click with. It's luck of the draw. There were six couples in our group, and nearly 5 years on we're still close. I had no local friends before having DS and so it was really important for me. And they helped restore me to normality after I gave birth - my first social outing was taking DS and sitting in a cafe for something like six hours with them all. It was just what I needed.

The first response you got on this thread was very skewed and bitter. I would say that if you can afford it without overstretching, it's worth a try.

Good luck!

It depends. If you’ve read lots of books about pregnancy and being a new Mum, there might be lots of new info, if that’s what you’re really interested in.

Some people haven’t read anything, so are hearing much of it for the first time. Others know it all already. Some who go won’t be bothered that they are hearing it again, whilst others feel a bit cheated…but in the end there’s only so much they can tell you and the NCT haven’t got access to secret info no-one else knows!

Yes, quite a lot is about meeting local families who will have kids the same age. Only you can judge if that’s important to you. For lots of people it is. Whether you end up being a group who only gets together once, sees each other for a year until many or most are back at work or are still in touch 20 years later….no-one can say.

If money’s tight and you aren’t interested in meeting people, probably don’t bother. If you can afford to spend the cash and fancy giving it a go and are willing to go in with an open mind then I’d do it.

I’m someone still in touch with those from my group 20 years later. We wouldn’t have all been friends in normal circumstances but the babies and life experiences have meant we’ve gone through a lot together. The fact that one or two kept going with organising stuff when others were too exhausted or couldn’t be bothered, meant we had support all the way through and now manage to meet a couple of time a year and now have a WhatsApp group that gets posted on most weeks. Other people I know had groups they weren’t that keen on or have fizzled out…neither the end of the world.

Personally I’d ty it. But I don’t mind meeting new people whilst others sometimes hate that kind of thing. I’d just say that being a new mum can be pretty lonely and actually all having new birds for the first time is a huge thing to have in common and can be invaluable, even for those who might consider themselves usually a bit anti-social. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t turn into life long friendship.

I had various experiences but with one it was like yours.

Baby1 went to NCT back in the 1970s, wonderful leader, I was a bit out of it as I was a teenager and other mums older but loved it. Loved it when leader visited me in hospital to congratulate me. Run in leader's home.
Baby 2 went to local NHS course, it was great, not as organised as NCT.
Baby 3 in the late 80s very different to original course but it was very supportive. They put a group of us older mums together, all over 35. Run in leader's home.
Baby 4 I'd moved out of city into nearby town, contacted them twice, explained I'd been an NCT mum for 20 years, heard nothing. Contacted again and they promised to let me know if a course was running. Heard nothing. Waiting for appointment at hospital and got chatting to another mum, she mentioned she had been persuaded by her friend, NCT leader, to join a course which she had reluctantly done, this was my local NCT who couldn't get me on a course. Not sure what was wrong with me although maybe I was too old?

So I went from feeling very welcome, very supported to feeling like a reject.

Mine was a lifesaver, really nice leader who was a former midwife and I’ve made some amazing friends. We got lucky with our group, not all of them I would naturally be friends with but when your in the thick of it and just want support/a chat you will take what you can get!

I had a baby the first week of lockdown 1 so the group was integral for me. Nearly 3 years on we’re planning a holiday with one of the couples we met on there!

We loved our course and have remained friends with two of the other couples who we see regularly. I think the content was good in that I prefer classroom based type learning rather than reading and as I had an emergency c section I felt calmer as we’d had a good session on what to expect if that happens to you.

We all say we went there to buy friends 😂. Two of the group went off with each other quite quickly and then everyone fell into their groups but I know some people are still friends with everyone from their NCT groups and for the first six months our weekly catch up with everyone were so good for me.

If if you can afford it I’d recommend it but be mindful you may have differing incomes and I know this was felt by one in our group. She went away from the group in the end. We had two high earners, a few middles and then us and her (she was a single mum) so even though we were not high earners either at the time, she confided in me that she found it difficult and I totally understood.

This is the most accurate thing I have ever read

It does hugely depend on the course leader. Whilst the basic information will be fairly consistent across the board, the way that it is presented and emphasised will make a huge difference.

Have a look at what’s available in your area. There are lots of other providers. Bump, Birth and Beyond offer Midwife led classes in lots of locations and are really well regarded. There will also be local individuals or groups offering classes.

(I also think NCT is massively overpriced compared to a lot of antenatal classes)

It’s over £300 in London and I do think that’s outrageous for the content.

I found the free classes at my local hospital better. I think in uk all hospitals will offer these. I thought babies need a lot of milk but when we were shown that the size of a newborn stomach is the same of a cherry, that put things in perspective. Obviously it might take an hour to fill it up. They discussed also a lot of practical things, how the baby latches on breast, how to make sure there is a proper latch etc. Where and how to find support if you have problems breastfeeding later on, where to go weigh the baby (I was going weekly for a few months, then once a month), other mum clubs and support etc.

I went on a paid course as well, can’t remember which one, it’s good if you’re anxious but in terms of preparing yourself and knowledge gained it wasn’t much. It was a bit “fluffy “on actual content.

I remember they telling us about aromatic oils and then all women crowding in H&B to get some, me included. Plus getting some lights, music for the labour, birth plans.. The oils were absolutely useless, when the pain hits nothing works. Hypnoborthing works in the early stages only.

Making a birth plan is also useless, i ended up doing everything I said I wrote I didn’t want.

All of these things are meant to give the feeling of control to first time mums, but labour is unpredictable and it’s better to go with the flow. And nothing can prepare you for the actual experience.

Second time now, you’ll bet I will have no birth plan, aromatic oils, candle lights etc :))

I’ll have some music, I’ll do some visualisations while the pain is not too great, walk a lot and hope for the best.

best also to read in advance about all the pain relief available with an open mind so you are informed if you need to make a choice.

so if you have the extra cash and you think it will help with labour anxiety then why not. In any case I will definitely recommend the free classes at local hospitals.

The actual course was OK. Reasonably informative. My husband learnt a lot so that was useful. The leader was nice, down-to-earth and didn't inhabit the NCT stereotype, whatsoever. The session on breast feeding they shipped in someone who wasn't very good and it was a poor session by default.

I never knew NCT was meant to be a mum's dating agency, tbh, but I was quite open to having a support network of sorts. However, my group were not nice people and they were competitive weirdos. It is the luck of the drawer, though, because I attended a baby first aid session and there were a group of people there who clearly met at NCT but were all really nice people who genuinely got on.

A bit marmite, some people love and some people hate. Mine was pretty good, she went through best ways to bottle feed as well as breast feed. She also talked about c sections and who to expect in theatre, so was quite measured and informative. I still keep in touch with four of the mum's seven years later and catch up with them.

Have a look to see if Bump Start Antenal Classes are running in your area. It is a free charity run course (by Home Start) covering much of the same content as NCT, right down to the WhatsApp group.

Ours is run by an ex-midwife and there is a great mix of people from different backgrounds. There have been practical elements and plenty of time for Q&A.

The only downside is they tend to be on a weekday, during the daytime.

I enquired about the NCT classes but as I was going to bottle feed from day one, wasn’t looking for mum friends, was having an epidural as early as possible and was returning to full time work after six months, I decided after speaking to the instructor that it wouldn’t be a good match. The local NHS classes at the hospital covered what I needed in a basic and practical way.