NCT/Birthmatters Classes - worth the money?

bylromarha

No NCT classes here - just NHS ones.

I had a circle of new mum/pregnant friends anyway, so didn't want to pay £200 for the friendship aspect.

6 sessions, 5 couples - range of ages.

Midwife was excellent - answered any questions and I actually liked seeing the forceps and the rest of the kit that may need to be part of the birthing process - that is because I'm a planner and like to be forewarned of things, but understand that seeing all the medical kit which may be used could freak some people. If I'm honest, as I'd been getting Mother and Baby each month, the classes really didn't add anything to the information I'd already gleaned from the mags - I just loved seeing the medical kit in reality and the 2 hour personalised tour round the labour suite and post natal ward that was part of the class.

Friend has a specialised heart problem and she found NCT classes valuable as she could ask questions related to her condition, and also talked to her about things she hadn't thought of in regards to her conditon. She never went to the NHS classes though, so no comparision to make really.

All the rest of my friends who have done both NHS and NCT have said that the friends you make at NCT are what make it worth the time and money. NCT more earth mother, NHS more factual.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the birth. It's the best experience in the world IMO - would happily do it all again, but the thought of taking a new baby home at the end of it is not appealing!

dizziblonde

May sound daft but I can't imagine anything worse than inheriting a social network comprised soley of NCT/Mumsnet-esque posters to be honest. I'd get peed off and socially shunned within a week for my acceptance that life isn't perfect, babies haven't read the baby books to know what they're expected to do - and stuff happens that doesn't necessarily fit into a birth plan. Or indeed the idea of NOT having a birthplan strategized down in minute detail (mine's currently at the "get me and the baby out of here alive - and if I yell for pain relief I chuffing well want it guys, and if the daddy starts with the 'we don't want an epidural' routine - I'll kill him" level of detail)

NHS classes - ours are oversubscribed, and not even specific to the hospital I'm booked in at - they're at the other site only, so there's none of the "oh at least it'll make the place seem familiar when the time comes" aspect to it - so to be honest - I'm going to pretty much be rolling with it... but the birth part really doesn't scare me at all (the subsequent 18 years do somewhat)!

Make-it-3

mildred1978 wrote: »

Has the OP actually said they are planning a hospital birth?

I wasn't either, but it was good to see the set up to confirm that wasn't what I wanted. Although in the end, that's where I ended up.

Each to their own, but I'm glad I did all the reading, as I felt in control and able to make decisions when my "natural, home water birth" was scarpered by LO refusing to budge 42 weeks into pregnancy!

SmlSave

I loved doing the nct classes and my husband did too. Really get on with all the ladies and meet up every week :-) just my 2p worth

mildred1978

Make-it-3 wrote: »

I wasn't either, but it was good to see the set up to confirm that wasn't what I wanted. Although in the end, that's where I ended up.

Each to their own, but I'm glad I did all the reading, as I felt in control and able to make decisions when my "natural, home water birth" was scarpered by LO refusing to budge 42 weeks into pregnancy!

I was also scuppered by a lazy baby but felt completely the opposite, lol! I don't ever want to know what went on. All I wanted was baby out safely.

daska

dizziblonde wrote: »

May sound daft but I can't imagine anything worse than inheriting a social network comprised soley of NCT/Mumsnet-esque posters to be honest. I'd get peed off and socially shunned within a week for my acceptance that life isn't perfect, babies haven't read the baby books to know what they're expected to do - and stuff happens that doesn't necessarily fit into a birth plan. Or indeed the idea of NOT having a birthplan strategized down in minute detail (mine's currently at the "get me and the baby out of here alive - and if I yell for pain relief I chuffing well want it guys, and if the daddy starts with the 'we don't want an epidural' routine - I'll kill him" level of detail)

NHS classes - ours are oversubscribed, and not even specific to the hospital I'm booked in at - they're at the other site only, so there's none of the "oh at least it'll make the place seem familiar when the time comes" aspect to it - so to be honest - I'm going to pretty much be rolling with it... but the birth part really doesn't scare me at all (the subsequent 18 years do somewhat)!

LOL That translates as "I'm going to shun you because I assume you're going to shun me" Thanks a bundle for the huge raft of assumptions you've just made about everyone of us on here that's attended an NCT class :rotfl:

The lady who ran the NCT course I went on made it very clear that a birth plan is only that, a plan, real life often demands that we compromise. And when we all met up again, with babies, we had a wonderful time comparing which of us had got what we thought we wanted before the birth compared to what we actually found important at the time and in hindsight. Actually I think your strategy sounds just about perfect but one friend added in a clause that dad should place his testicles in her hand for every contraction - he shared the pleasure of creating, he should share the pain of delivering... always thought that was rather creative

kwils

I know this was posted a while ago but I have just seen these comments and I wanted to add for anyone else wondering the same thing.

I have attend BIRTHMATTERS ante natal course our-birthmatters.net and found it worth every penny as it improved my overall birthing experience by giving myself and my partner the confidence to ask questions at the right time, knowing what could happen and what options were available to us.

I was recommended Birthmatters via a friend as an alternative to NCT. The courses were well balanced, not overbearing and not too earth-motherish!. We covered everything from natural self help ideas for labour to c-sections, breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Everything was based on not what “you SHOULD do as a mother” as I have heard other antenatal classes could be. The Birthmatters teacher focuses on providing you with the information and knowledge and leaves the decision up to you to make on what works best for you.

I found the course great fun and we have made new friends in the process. Now over a year on we are still in touch and these friends have been an invaluable source of support, as we were all going through the same thing at the same time and we we all live in the local area.

We just had a first birthday party for our rapidly growing bubbas and I am really pleased I did a Birthmatters antenatal course. I could not recommend it highly enough!