nhs ante natal classes versus nct classes?

dreambirdie

im currenty attending the NHS ones. i will try and find the list they gave me of what they cover.
i certainly am glad they are free, id be raging if id of paid for them. they dont tell you anything you either already know or can find out from books/internet etc. the only reason i like them is because i wanted to know about the particular polices of that hospital, and wanted the tour of delivery suite etc. she did show us a good DVD about bathing the baby, but again its something i prob could of accessed myself.

sarcycyril

Thanks that would be great if you could find a list of what they cover, then I could compare it with nct!

bylromarha

andrealm wrote: »

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Lol at the full symphony orchestra:rotfl:

But how true is that of the situation being described...

The NCT do a good thing, but the one in our area is very cliquey and one up ish. Went to a couple of events after baby was born and found the other mums there not my kind of people.

Gillby1

Hi sarcycyril,

I went to both NHS and NCT ante natal classes (in Chelmsford, Essex - approx £120 per couple for 6 x 3 hour evening sessions plus optional breastfeeding workshops). I am quite shy and was dubious about fitting in with the other couples at NCT, all professional and all early to late thirties, even though we are exactly the same!:o However, after spending a few hours in each others company and after discussing some incredibly personal issues and asking embarrassing questions we all relaxed pretty quickly:D. I found that the classes leant towards natural birth and breastfeeding, although there was certainly no pressure or disdain shown to anyone who had different ideas. Most of us agreed that we'd try for as natural a birth as possible (using the relaxation and breathing techniques taught at the classes), but that we'd be happy to abandon the idea and take every pain relief option going if necessary! From my point of view, the sessions allowed us to discuss anything we wanted, and helped me to feel much more prepared and calm abut the idea of giving birth - the NHS sessions were much more 'taught' and clinical. The NHS sessions did have a much wider mix of people, though, which i really liked, and the opportunity to look around the maternity wards.

Most importantly for me, though, is the fact that the ladies from the NCT class now meet up weekly - our babies are all roughly 4 months old. Those meetings have genuinely saved my sanity on more than one occasion:D! So, if you can afford it, i'd sign up for both!

Gilly

falady

Hi OP,

Hubby and i are expecting our first baby in 4 weeks. We have done the local NCT classes and thought they were very good. The cost was £190 which included an optional £40 to join the NCT. The classes were well worth the money and were 6 sessions (including one on breastfeeding), on tuesday evenings and saturday mornings.

There were 5 couples including ourselves, and we met some like minded people. We keep in touch with 2 couples particularly already and I am sure that as time goes on, and our babies arrive, we will become firm friends.

The classes covered areas such as
changes to the body in pregnancy
what happens in labour
contractions
pain relief
information about our options for local places to give birth
water birth (someof us were particularly interested in this)
interventions
emotional aspects of pregnancy, labour, relationships etc
what happens at the hospital
postnatal care
breastfeeding
etc etc

I think the things that we found most useful about the NCT classes were:

the amount and quality of information given
the small class size
the many opportunities for discussion and to ask questions. No question was stupid
the chance to meet other couples
the chance to talk about the emotonal aspects of pregnancy, labour and postnatal
the confidence we gained in making our own choices
the discussion of my husband's role in the whole process
a framework to think through any suggestions given by the midwife etc, and a feeling of control about what was happening to me.
that the classes were tailored to the needs of the group.

As first time parents with no close friends with babies, we found the above invaluable and now feel much better prepared.


In our area, the NHS only offers one 3 hour antenatal class which includes a 1 hour tour of the birth centre and consultant unit. They also offered separate tours of the units, which we did do, and found very useful. Anything which helps you know what to expect can only be a good thing!!

Hope you've found this info helpful.

Ali x