NCT - is it worth it?

[LizzieHart]

I am 19 weeks pregnant and looking into parenting classes. NHS or NCT? Advice please!

(PS I am in Canbridge so have the wonderful Rosie Hospital at my disposal if that makes any difference tot he answer.)

At the time I had my first child, my local hospital had stopped running antenatal classes, so I paid to do the NCT one.

My friend 2 years later went on the NHS one as they'd restarted and found it so helpful, it included a tour of hospital as well, as it was run there and lots of helpful stuff for the partners to know on the big day.

However the NCT one I went on, I made very good friends with the other mums, as it ran over many weeks, as opposed to one day only like the NHS one. And 2 and a half years down the line we all still meet up.

It may depend on what your local NCT is like and your local NHS course. Do you know anyone to ask who lives near you?

So six of one and a half a dozen of the other? As the saying goes. Go on both? You do not have to become a member of the NCT unless you want to. You could just pay for the class? If you have the money of course. However they do do lots of local events, such as bumps and babes groups, BF counselors etc.

See what some other mums netters say. But that's my two pennies worth x

Having had a scan at my local hospital, I booked the NCT ones as I thought that the people would be older ie late 20s/ 30s as everyone in the local hospital seemed about 18.
The NCT classes were ok. But when I went to the post birth classes at the local health centre it was a nice mix of people and a lot of those had been to their NHS ones and said that they were fine.

I'm doing both, and both have benefits. But if you want to get to know other mums, I've found the NCT ones better - no-one speaks to each other at the NHS ones! Maybe people in cambridge are more chatty though!

I did NCT, basically to meet people. Our babies are coming up to 18 months and we still meet up, despite some of us living further away now. When everyone was still on maternity leave we used to meet every week, which was great. In the first few weeks and months it was really a lifeline for me to be able to ring up other people in the group and cry at them and share tips on sleeping and dummies and feeding and all that, very encouraging. And the babies were all born within a few weeks of each other, so all went through the same things at the same times. I didn't realise how different a seven month old and a four month old were before DD had been those ages.

Beyond some fairly basic information and learning a good relaxation technique for the birth I didn't learn anything v. useful from NCT though. Other people I know who did NHS classes learnt how to change nappies, how to prepare formula and heat it up, how to bath a baby and so on. Really useful things to know that would have made me feel much more confident about the day to day practicalities of parenthood.

So I'd say do both if you can, NHS for the facts, and you might meet some people there, and NCT for the friends. And be shameless about asking for people's phone numbers and arranging to meet up, it's really worth it after your babies are born.

Totally agree with Philbee. I did both. Not sure I learnt loads from my NCT classes (I read every book going!) but I did make invaluable friends, who I still see weekly 6 1/2 years later. But the NHS classes were good in giving me specific information about the hospital, facilities, what to do about getting a private room and so on. However, the NHS classes did not offer the chance to make friends.

Thank you all! Very useful and I think I am going to do both!

I am also based in Cambridge (currently 23 +) weeks and decided to do both as my midwife runs the NHS one, but also suggested I should try the NCT partly to meet people as all my local friends have children who are much older than mine will be.

We did both, and I would agree with the above comments of NHS for the facts and NCT for the friends.

One word of warning though, would be to take the NCT "natural birth" bullshit with a large dose of salt- I think they really misled us with what to expect at the birth. If you start out thinking it's all going to be fluffy bunnies and a bit of music and dim lighting will see you through, then you're going to be sorely (excuse the pun) disappointed. Open mind!

My local hospital don't actually do any antenatal classes now which I think is a travesty!

I did the NCT classes with my first and also a refresher with my 2nd child. I haven't done any this time around and do feel less prepared.

The NCT one is great for meeting mums in the same boat as you. And that is invaluable. I don't think I could have coped without my circle or mums all going through the same things at the same time as I think it could be easy to feel isolated with a new baby. In fact one of the ladies I met is now one of my best friends and I still see at least half of the class weekly and have done for 5 years. I don't think you get that from the NHS ones. The NCT arrange a postnatal coordinator who hosts weekly coffee until all the mums have had their babies and then they leave you to it to organise it yourself.

I also didn't feel, unlike FatSeal, that they rammed natural childbirth down your neck. They also went through c-sections, epidurals, induction etc. They taught us how to change a nappy and breastfeed or bottle feed. They also took us on a tour of the local hospital.

What they did teach me was that labour isn't how you see it in films - it is very unlikely that you'll wake in the night as your waters go and turn to your H and say "honey - I think it's started!!".

I know that not all labour goes to plan and I had an open mind about what would happen and would go with the flow - and the classes allowed me to feel like this. But they also gave me the confidence to challenge the assumption of the midwife that I would be booked into my local hospital (I am terrified of big hospitals) and instead I booked into a birthing centre 40 minutes away. They made me realise that I could "do" childbirth and that I didn't have to accept intervention without question. If I had gone to my local hospital they would have automatically burst my waters on arrival at 5cm gone which would have ramped up my labour and caused more pain. Instead my first was born with them intact and with my second they went 2 pushes before she was born. Without the NCT classes I never would have made the decisions I did and been in control of my labour myself.

So I would suggest definitely going to the NCT ones and if you have NHS ones as well then do them as a secondary class.

My friend was making Fatseal's point just today, actually. I didn't really feel this with my NCT class, although our person was pretty anti-hospital, which was sometimes a bit unsettling. NCT does have an 'approach' to childbirth, infant feeding etc. which I think comes through in the classes and their literature. It's the same for the NHS, just a different emphasis.

'Open mind' is dead on, a lot of what happens is not under anyone's control (how much pain you feel, what position the baby's in etc.) and the main thing is to get the baby out with both parties healthy and happy at the end, regardless of how that's happened. Hope you have fun at the classes!

fatseal- for many women natural birth is incredibly important and empowering. For a woman to understand that she has the power and ability to birth her baby herself without routine interventions and labour management is key. This is not just the view of some hippy sandal wearing nct women. Midwives are taught that they should be very aware of how a medical model of birth has become too pervasive since the 1970s. Assuming a women is fit and healthy then hospital is not the safest place for birth. Birth is a natural physiological occurance and is highly effected by hormones. Stress hormones hinder the natural release of oxytocin and so slow down labour and can make it more painful- we wonder why women in an alien hospital environment have more medical intervention than those that choose a midwife led birthing unit or a home birth?

I have three children- and the importance of all this has only really become apparent since having my third (at home). I thought with my first that the most important thing was getting the baby out healthy- however it meant. I think now that to experience as natural a birth as possible is actually one of life's greatest experiences and so with this in mind, dicussing with women and their partners how to use other skills- such as breathing/massage/positions is crucial- not airy-fairy nonsense.

galadrial- it is lovely to hear how your NCT classes helped you question the norm and helped you achieved a positive birth experience.

I knew I wanted a waterbirth before I went to the NCT classes. It didn't go to plan - I ended up on a drip as I wasn't dilating properly and later down the line ended up with an emergency section. However, because of the NCT classes, I was able to make informed decisions re pain relief, and at least knew what was happening and why - I wouldn't have got this from the NHS ones that I also attended. (DS just got stuck - he was rather large with a big head and had sort of jammed in at a funny angle)(And we did have a 'nappy' class on our NCT course - our leader asked at the beginning what everyone wanted to be covered, and that was included!)

I think that NCT courses are worth it - each course is slightly different depending on the teacher and they will ask at the start what you want to cover. Not everything is always available (some people asked for baby first aid and this was declined as it would take too long, but our teacher found details of a local baby first aid course run for free by the children's centre and so we all did that)

If you are on a low income they have a sliding scale for course fees.

NCT for us was invaluable. We made some very good friends and learnt loads on the course. It helped me through my labour even though I had a shaky start with attempted induction using the prostoglandin gel and having my waters broken. Even at the end when I was at the pushing stage and had forgotten everything I learnt my lovely husband was the only one who told me to pant instead of breath like an elephant as I'd been doing throughout. No-one else told me that! And when I was chuffing too heavily on the gas and air it was my hubby who reminded me to take the thing out my mouth after each breath not leave it in which was making me feel really sick.

What I'm trying to say is there's a fair bit to learn and it really helps having it taught to you in a longer time frame. We also went on the hospital course but they only touched on pain relief and when to get yourself to the hospital.

We went on a weekend crash course for our NCT as we'd missed the weekly classes but we still managed to make friends and learnt loads, even if it was intensive!

Can't praise them enough - I got so much more out of it than I ever expected.