Pregnancy Classes Always During the Week!

[KD1988UK]

I need to rant!

I am 5 months pregnant and am in the UK, and am getting sick to death of finding that 99% of pregnancy classes and social events are during the day and during the week!!

It is 2024!!

Can organisations get up to speed that the majority of women work!! We don’t stop working as soon as we fall pregnant!!!

Driving me nuts! My friend said she had this issue when she was pregnant too!

I also saw a dad to be class…on a SATURDAY! 🙄

What are the classes for? Are these like NCT classes?

All sorts like literally everything covering pregnancy, labour, what to expect in the first year but even social events to meet other women who are expecting.

How many of these classes are you even managing to find?? Other than NCT (which was evenings) I didn’t find anything like that. You can attend classes to learn about the first year once you’re on maternity leave. I wouldn’t wind yourself up about it.

It is just incredibly limiting and it's so obvious that there is the assumption that women do not work. I have looked on Eventbrite and lots of organisations near me.

A friend of mine said she found pregnancy super difficult as she was unable to attend pregnancy classes to get to know other women because she worked. I am now finding the same and as I said, I have seen dad to be social classes that are only on the weekends.

Abit of balance would be nice! I am just finding it frustrating...it is 2024

I think you are just unlucky wherever you are, I googled near me (Yorkshire) and the pregnancy ones are still in the evenings. I don’t think there’s an assumption that pregnant women are jobless, I think it’s more that the women who run these groups often have small children themselves and are less available evenings and weekends.

I haven't found this where I am but did you know that your employer legally has to give you time off for antenatal appointments and classes?

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/maternity-and-parental-rights/check-your-maternity-and-parental-rights/rights-while-pregnant-or-on-maternity-leave/rights-while-youre-pregnant-at-work/#:~:text=Paid%20time%20off%20for%20antenatal%20appointments&text=This%20might%20include%20parenting%20or,or%20what%20hours%20you%20work.

They’re all evening and weekends here. I haven’t seen a single class during the week. I agree that’s annoying though!

That’s because you have a legal right to paid time off to attend (which, if I remember correctly, involves travel time). This really pissed off my old employer 😂.

NCT classes are on a Sunday in my area. I'd rather they were on a weekday tbh and I could get paid time off! Although feedback from my SIL who attended same classes isn't great so we will probably just attend the NHS ones if they exist. Not sure what other classes there are apart from those? To be fair when I looked for pregnancy exercise classes they were in the week and doubt work would be too happy if I took time off for Zumba!

For medical and related appointments, not a mums to be weekly social!

Whereabouts are you @KD1988UK ?

Near me there are NCT and other antenatal classes which run evenings and weekends. The antenatal classes at the hospital additionally offer midweek classes (presumably to accommodate people who don't work Mon-Fri office hours), and those were the ones showing on event brite as the others were already booked up.

Also lots of events for mums /parents and babies on weekday daytime to which pregnant women are also welcome- I considered attending one in my first week of mat leave before baby arrived - I assumed that's the intention.

No but includes antenatal and relaxation classes, Inc pregnancy yoga etc!

I agree! If I want to do pregnant yoga or pregnancy swimming classes they’re on at Weds late mornings or Friday afternoons. My work are very flexible but I can’t justify doing that every Wednesday!

My NHS ones are during the day on a weekday but presuming this is as we are entitled to paid time off for these… all the “nice to do “ ones like aqua natal etc were after working hours

You're entitled to reasonable paid time off work to attend them.

Which the organisers are aware of even if you weren't.