ante-natal classes - pregnant brain strikes again!

[hopefully]

I am fully prepared to be shouted out - can't imagine how I forgot to do this, and have no good excuse.

Anyway, I have somehow reached 27 weeks without booking any kind of ante natal class. I did vaguely consider NCT ones to make friends, but as we will be moving within a few weeks of the birth (again, I am bonkers), I thought I'd wait and go to some meet ups when we've moved. Anyway, having mentally discounted NCT, I completely forgot to look into NHS ones.

Am deeply embarrassed, and suppose I have to phone midwife and see about booking NHS classes? Will she laugh at me? Do I really really really need to go?

Depends on your authority, but my NHS classes weren't till later - 30ish weeks? Can't remember. Call your mw and ask.

Is it your first DC?

I don't think I had to book NHS classes - my mw just told me when they were on. I know that they were around 32-33 weeks, because the hospital visit (only reason I actually went to the first one was to find this out) was when DS was 2 days old, and he was born at 35 weeks

You're not too late for NHS classes.

Yes, it's first DC. So we don't think my midwife will shout/laugh me out of the building if I call her and ask about NHS ones? Gah, wish I didn't have to go, but I assume they'll tell me something worth knowing?

Depends where you are - my area (south London) runs very few NHS antenatal classes, so most people don't get any. I asked at my booking-in appt but was told I'd have had to book by 6 weeks (first DC) - just as well I'm booked for an NCT course in July (I'll be 30-34 weeks, but it's round the corner from my house).

A friend got her local NHS class but said the only useful bit was finding out where the out-of-hours entrance to the hospital was. I've already been told that! The midwives did have DVDs I could borrow if I couldn't get any antenatal classes, though.

I'm in NE London and my classes started at 29 weeks. First one was on breathing techniques and birthing positions, second pain relif (third is next week - on post natal stuff). Found them all v useful. Then have 3 more classes in about a months time (with NCT inbetween - may have overdone it!)I wasn't allowed to book them until a while into the pregnancy, so you def won't be laughed at.
I'd recommend going - if you don't like them you can always stop.