Antenatal classes

[flowerchop]

FTM - asking about antenatal classes including breastfeeding. Would take my partner to all classes

Are they worth it? (NCT/other paid ones)

Are there any online ones you'd recommend so I don't have to over commit.... ?

Should I just stick to the 3 my hospital offer for free?

Can I just find the info online, I watch a LOT of social media content on babies, for birth and post birth. But of course I can't filter what's good and what's not like and expert could.

NCT is most valuable for building a group of women and men going through the same thing. Classes not particularly great, but that whatsapp group you get out of it priceless

Agree with PP about NCT - two years on and still in touch regularly with the whole group who are local to me. The risk is it's a lot of money if your group don't gel.

Re. Breastfeeding we had a 2 hour session as part of NCT. I think you could learn the same stuff from a book or YouTube however I would say....if you want to breastfeed definitely do do a class or clinic or read a book. I didn't realise how much you actually have to learn and if I didn't have that knowledge I probably would have given up after day 3.

We did NCT classes and now we’re all giving birth, having our WhatsApp group is invaluable. Is this normal, what to pack for hospital, what hospital is like, 4am breastfeeding woes… it’s all happening! Plus meeting up for coffee and reassuring each other.

I thought the classes were good for presenting a really holistic view of birth and becoming a parent, and having a hands on go at things like fastening a nappy. I guess you don’t know what you don’t know, so having a tutor bringing topics up that hasn’t occurred to us and being able to ask questions was helpful.

Attending the classes as a couple also meant that we were on the same page and knew the same things- I know not everyone’s partner will do the reading, so classes are valuable for that. I’d also ask yourself whether you’re good at online learning - I struggle to pay attention to zoom classes personally, so wasn’t drawn to them.

We're doing NCT classes and have met some lovely people who will hopefully be a good support network throughout. As others have said the WhatsApp group is great. They don't tell you much that you couldn't learn from reading a book but I really like the socialising with other couples going through the same experiences part.

Completely agree with the above about NCT. The content was ok, nothing brilliant but the friendship group I’ve formed is worth the money over and over again. We message every single day, go to classes together and meet up at least twice a week. I’m not sure how I would get through maternity leave without that group!

I'm doing the Bump and Baby ones this month. My main motivation was the socialisation aspect as others pointed out, and the fact that as me and partner are going together we'll be learning the same things at the same time. Of course you can always read a book, pick up content online, etc, but I think there's something about being in a room with other people in a sort of class format that makes things stick much better with you.

Oh and I went with this one rather than NCT because it was cheaper and the content seemed better balanced, not just birth focused but also post-birth and how to care for baby when it's here

We did Bump and Baby plus two of the free hospital ones.

This is going to sound snotty, but can't be avoided - a paid for, in person class means that you meet people more local to a particular area, and also brings a certain level of informed education to the group.

For example, in the free NHS group, there were people who at 36w hadn't heard of nesting etc, so time was spent answering a lot of very basic questions. I didn't join the WhatsApp group, my husband says it's more of the same, whilst Bump and Baby WhatsApp is thriving because everyone is much more on the same level.