Do hospitals provide antenatal classes?

[Strawberry06]

I always thought this was something that the hospital provides but my friend whos had two children has advised me to book onto a paid NCT course but we can't really afford this on top of all the baby things but I'm wondering if its worth it?

Do hospitals provide antenatal classes? I appreciate it will only be basic!

Mine doesn’t. There used to be a local one ran when I had my first but that was 12 years ago. Nothing like that round me anymore but worth asking your midwife if there are any.

With my second I did a fantastic online course called the bump to baby chapter and it really helped me after a traumatic first birth. Found it so much more helpful than the antenatal course

NHS provide them - ours was via local health centre - your midwife will be able to direct you. In my experience too brief and far too many people to be useful - the information you could get by reading a book or websites.
The benefit of the NCT was a small group and more time in the classes and they really facilitate making friends. My NCT group have been worth their weight in gold over the last 17 years - I’m close friends with two and still in touch with the other four families. They are a charity and offer reduced prices if you are on a low income so worth enquiring.

My hospital trust does, in partnership with the NCT. Sessions are only on zoom. They do seem to set up a WhatsApp group though, so trying to recreate some aspects of the paid course.

@Patchworksack yeah my friend recommended it more for the social/support aspect but I've read comments that are the total opposite in that people didn't stay in touch at all or made friends by other groups.

I might be being naïve but I don't think I'd use making friends as a reason to do it. Surely you make friends at baby groups? I have a great bunch of girls I made friends with through the pandemic when all our weddings were cancelled and we've remained friends and a lot of them have had babies now.

There’s nothing where I live but I’ve done a couple of free ones online from the baby academy which I found quite good😊

Our HV runs one at the local children's center. I never did NCT, it's certainly not essential. You will meet other mum's at baby groups.

I found that baby groups weren’t set up for making friends, but you sound a lot more sociable than I am. People often went with their NCT mates anyway and I never got the vibe that strangers were going out for coffee afterwards. The great thing about NCT is your babies are so close in age. There’s a world of difference between a six week old and a six month old and I really appreciated a group of people who were going through the same stuff at the same time.

Your midwife will be able to tell you about antenatal classes. My hospital has never brought them back after covid.

I got a free one coming up on NHS. But its a single class. All the private ones around me were like £400 and in a time where my DH had work trips abroad. There are breastfeeding support groups and baby groups I'll try go to instead for social aspect. With everything else I just can't warrant the expense of the classes.

I was referred for the NHS class at 28 weeks, class at around 36 weeks.

@Sleepygrumpyandnothappy I wouldn't say I am sociable lol. I completely get that baby groups can be clicky! I'll just have to see how I get on I suppose. I'm 36, nearly 37 by time baby is here so I already feel like I'll be an older Mum! If not, my two best school friends have kids so there's always them! Though granted a lot older in age!

I am a registered midwife working on the labour ward. I am not a big fan of NCT classes. They are sometimes run by a retired midwife, often not. At least the hospital classes (if your hospital provides them) are run by a midwife. I heard lots of people make friends from NCT classes but this is not on your wish list. I thoroughly recommend Positive Birth Book for birth preparation (available from Amazon for about a tenner).

I was unlucky with NHS courses.

With my first, for whatever reason they stopped running them in my area over the summer. Since I was due in September, it meant it was NCT or nothing for face to face. I went with NCT. It was ok. I could have taught everything on labour, but I wanted the social interaction and post natal mostly, so it wasn't a waste of time and money.

With my second, classes hadn't restarted over COVID, and NCT was still over teams. Didn't bother in the end.

I did them at the hospital and that group of people were a great support to me in the first year or so.

People I know did NCT and had the benefit of the same kind of support, but they met an entirely different kind of family.

15 years ago I got one class on the NHS at the hospital. I did NCT, which was useful for knowing why there were so many people in the room when I had an emcs, but I didn't make friends for life.

I found my tribe at local village hall type mum&baby groups.

I meant to say.... I think it varies by trust/hospital.