NCT- worth it or not?

patchwork_cat

On the converse, we went to NCT ante natal classes and 22 years later haven't seen or heard from any of them for 17 years. 2 out of 6 couples were Oxbridge educated, one husband in particular was an ar*e and tutted at some of our questions as obviously being beneath his intellect!

jackyann

I have been involved in both NHS & NCT ante-natal classes for 40+ years.
Both can be patchy, NCT do work to good standards, but some feel the teacher "not on their wavelength"

NHS very variable - from a quick "hospital tour" to a full set of excellent classes. One neighbouring authority to mine simply stopped all NHS classes & recommended the NCT instead!
Some NCT areas do reduced or free classes for some parents-to-be.

NCT teachers are effectively self-employed, working under the aegis of the NCT, so you will sometimes find good teachers where there isn't a local branch (to organise the Nearly New & coffee mornings) or vice-versa.
Some do a "one day" course for busy parents.
There are also independent childbirth mentors, with various qualifications, some very good, some dreadful.

I would begin by asking your midwife, and ask the children's centre for a summary of the classes (some may be very much about care of the baby rather than preparing for labour), then look on the NCT website for your local branch / teachers, ask them for a summary, and take it from there.
I would also think about what you want - some mums want the whole "exercise & breathing" package, others not.

(and only yesterday I was doing the breathing exercises I learned all those years ago!)

ashtray_heart

We did NCT and I didn't really learn anything that I couldn't learn from the internet or from a book. However I have made really good friends who I now meet up with regularly. Someone on the course put it as an expensive way to meet middle-class mums. Not very MSE but been a lifesaver for me as I am new to the area, was lonely and blue once DH returned to work and it has meant I have people to talk to and get out of the house with.

dondo

I would say yes primarily from a social aspect (that's not to say my wife and I didn't learn things from the ante natal classes we did) as you meet couples that are having babies around the same time. My wife used to meet up every week with the other mums when she was on maternity leave and we still see the families fairly regularly nearly 9 years on.

ZsaZsa

I loved mine. I probably didn't learn much more than I could have done online. But, in the early days of maternity leave my NCT mums were a huge support, especially when I was missing the structure of a working week. We went to all the baby groups and baby clinics together, so we never had to brave any groups on our own. I moved away after a year, so am only in limited contact with them now, but I know they still meet up regularly.

Lunar_Eclipse

Rambosmum wrote: »

Is it a case of getting posher parents at NCT?

Yes definitely. My NCT group was made up of professional, degree educated couples, whilst the ones on my local free classes run through my GP's antenatal services were a nice, more mixed group of women (only.) I did both and made friends at both classes.

The NCT classes were a bit more informative and thus 'educational'.

Worth it for the friendship in my case. Most people I know still have friends they met through NCT classes and our children are teenagers.

Kynthia

I thought my NCT group might be full of snooty upper middle class couples who looked down on anyone who bottle fed and didn't get dressed until lunchtime occasionally. Thankfully they are a fab bunch who have been a source of mutual support and useful information. I don't know how I would have survived maternity leave without them. The NCT don't organise meet-ups after the course so between you you'll need to take the initiative and set up get-togethers and perhaps a Whatsapp or Facebook group.


The course itself was okay, I knew a lot of it already but I tend to read up on things. I thought it was good to educate my husband so that he knew what to expect and I'd have more confidence that he could make decisions if I was unable to. However the main reason I did the course was in the hope of making friends and I can say it was the best money I spent. The problem is there's no guarantee you'll make good friends, but I've not found anyone who made a good friend from the NHS classes.

barbiedoll

jackyann wrote: »

some mums want the whole "exercise & breathing" package, others not.

(and only yesterday I was doing the breathing exercises I learned all those years ago!)

They are good, aren't they? I still use mine (from 18 years ago) at the dentist, during my smear tests and even when I had my last tattoo!

time2deal

I love my NCT group. Our babies are still young, only approaching first birthdays, but it's been fantastic to have a group of friends who I see regularly and we chat all the time on whatsapp. We laugh now that we all sat down at the course and thought 'nope, nope, nope, not someone I'll get one with', and then we all just fell together once the babies were born. It's an intense time and it's lovely to have people going through the same time as the same time. Your other friends with babies forget those early weeks!
I've moved to Australia and we are still in touch, but I miss my group so so much.

lilmissmup

I did NCT classes last year, my 1st child but OH's 3rd.

I have made some fantastic friends from doing them and going to my local bumps and babes group so yes I highly recommend them from that aspect.

The classes themselves weren't that much different to the NHS ones I did but more on the parenting side than NHS which is all just medical info really but I did both as only way to get a tour of hospital.

I am now a volunteer for my local NCT committee too which involves nights out!