Is NCT Antenatal class worth it?

[Ramble66]

Hi ladies,

Just wondering if you think NCT classes are worth it? They seem very pricey and I'm not sure I'd get much benefit except for making friends. My theory is there are so much baby stuff to do in the area that I'll meet mum friends anyway?

What are people's opinions?

Thanks.

[Mathilda]

I did the free nhs one and made friends there who I still see regularly. Also met people through the winter babies club on the forum.

[lucyA1308]

It is quite expensive, and as far as classes go, the NHS ones were brilliant for me. People say it is as much for social contact as anything. I didn't realise the necessity of this until my baby had arrived, and endless walks through the park without conversation, or being at home on my own, wondering what the baby needed next. It is good to have a group of friends in the same situation as you, but you can find that in other areas, not necessarily NCT.

[Cyberia]

Agreed, definitely not worth the money. I didn't have the forum handy back in the day but you're probably best off with meeting local mums on here. Probably makes more sense to do NCT in other locations.

Also, much as you might bond with the others on your course you could also end up where (as happened with me), after a while they don't even answer your emails any more. I recall once when the babe was around 6 months, in despair sending a message to the whole group asking if they close the curtains when their babies had a daytime nap and zero response. Seriously, not even 'no', 'yes', or 'I have no idea what you are on about, what is this 'nap' of which you speak'?

And more specific to the course, I am still a bit cut up that there was no warning given on how shockingly bad the local (I hasten again to add, not ED) breastfeeding support from the NHS would be, like 1 person in my whole group fed exclusively past 2 months. No answer on the NCT and ABFM helplines either, but that's another story...

[nunheadmum]

I think you can join in the NCT tea groups after the baby arrives even if you haven't done the classes. So you'll meet mums with babies the same age but without the cost of the class.

I think the NCT classes can depend very much on who is delivering them - although I think our group bonded over a shared dislike of the teacher.

On the other hand, I found their breastfeeding support really useful in the early days.

[Indiana]

For me they were definitely worth it - still see my group regularly almost 3 years on. Invaluable in those first few weeks of 'what the hell do I do now'.....and great that you are going through the same stuff at exactly the same time.

I am sure you will also be able to make mum friends via the forum baby clubs or at baby play groups but if you are lucky to get a good NCT group it is fab.

Sign up early if you decide to do it - they are popular.

[KatDew]

I agree with the PP. I don't think I learnt a whole lot of new information about childbirth and two c-sections later it was pretty much irrelevant. However I did make some lovely friends who I still meet up with 4 and a half years on

[fapl]

Putting the social aspect aside, the NCT classes I attended really helped me prepare mentally for labour and gave me confidence in the decisions I made.

Also, as most women these days do, I wanted my partner with me during labour, but I wanted to know he knew what to expect. I bought him a couple of books which he didn't look at, but he did learn things in the NCT classes.

The day you give birth to your first child you will never forget, the NCT ante natal classes I attended helped me prepare for that day, I do not regret spending the money.

But as others have said you can meet local mums through other means, you can also prepare for labour in other ways, but NCT classes are a convenient way to do both :)

[cashewnut]

Over 6 months on from the classes most of the group get together once a week, and it's not unusual for me to see someone or other from the group on several other days as well. We're constantly on email with each other asking stupid questions and sharing small successes and disasters. Cyberia's post made me sad.

They have also been a great support in times of need. Since I had to go into hospital suddenly last weekend people from my NCT group have:

- come round to play with the baby while my husband worked from home

- lent me a an excellent breast pump so I could maintain supply in hospital and express while too sore to feed (and brought me round a steriliser)

- brought round food for baby to eat when supplies were getting low

- brought cake and strawberries

- come round every day to cheer me and the baby up (even though I had full time help from mum/mum-in-law)

- given me the feeling that anything else they could have done they would have done!!

We have also got hold of a second hand double buggy so that we can take each other's babies out for walks when someone is under the weather.

So purely on that basis YES it's been worth it (and let me take this opportunity to say THANK YOU).

But also I was a bit of a bury-my-head-in-the-sand type when it came to childbirth so I found the classes really useful in preparing me for what was actually going to happen. The classes here in East Dulwich are great, and provide a comfortable environment for endless questions. Sign up for classes at Trossachs Road for a wonderful teacher - well-informed and a lovely person (if they are still available next year?!).

Having said this I do know of people who did not bond with their groups (in fact we 'adopted' two of them into our group!). So I'm not sure if they would have felt that the huge expense was worth it.

Edited to add: You can meet other mums on the forum and the 'bumps' lists are great, but it does feel a bit like speed-dating.

[Cyberia]

Wow cashewnut that's amazing, maybe it's an ED thing.

[hellosailor]

I agree it's partly luck of the draw what group you find yourself part of - like cashew nut I'm lucky enough to have a lovely, irreverent, supportive group who still see each other a lot 17 months after the birth of our babies but I have met a couple of people recently with young babies who both told me they had barely had any contact with their groups since birth, no-one emailed, suggested meeting etc.

I wonder if some people do nct much more for the labour info, and some much more for the friends, (I deffo did it for both) and if you happen to find yourself in a group with people who haven't really done it to make friends but more for the birth info, it can mean you don't end up meeting up. Or perhaps sometimes groups just don't gel that much.

I think sometimes it might also depend on how far apart your babies births are spaced, just a thought, All the babies in our group were born within a fortnight-ish, so everyone went on maternity leave the same week, were at the same newborn stage at the same time, but sometimes it seems to be that my friends who are in groups where babies are spaced over 2 months or so perhaps meet less as a group as after meeting in the classes perhaps some of them were still at work for weeks before having their baby while others were getting to grips with nappies and reflux and the hurricane of having a baby, then just coming out the other side and getting out and about more when the later babies arrived, so they never quite crossed over in those early months, but then, you can never know any of this if you book classes so I guess you just have to decide whether to do it or not. I'm very glad I did but it certainly isn't essential,

There are lots of other ways to meet other people as everyone has said, the meet ups on here, the NHS classes, at playgroups, through friends.

[Pickle]

Due to timings and class availability we ended up having to do an intensive NCT course in Brixton. I had read up quite a bit on childbirth (and become addicted to all the baby related shows on Discovery Health!) so didn't feel I learnt much, and unfortunately as a group we didn't really gel. It wasn't helped by the fact that we were all spread around Brixton, Herne Hill etc, which although not far away feels difficult when you've had your first baby. So I guess I was one of the unlucky ones, and with hindsight wouldn't have spent the money.

I have friends who did the free classes at Dulwich Hospital and madengood friends that way. Equally I know lots of people who have strong bonds with their NCT groups.

[Saffron]

Not so much new info for me personally but classes were invaluable for Hubbie, who basically knew nothing about pregnancy or childbirth. We did the intensive class with Becky in E Dulwich. She was brilliant, very interactive.

The NCT antenatal classes don't give much info about b/fing though. So you might want to do a b/fing course. I think there are some free ones at the Hospital?

If you have a complicated recovery (which can sometimes happen even with a straightforward birth!), you might find it difficult to get out to meet people immediately afterwards. If you've been to antenatal groups, then you have at least an opportunity to meet a few people in advance of the birth.

However, if you're on a tight budget, your money might be better spent on a postnatal doula. A good reason to check out the free classes, but whatever you do, don't leave it too late or you won't have much choice of time/venue. xx

[snowboarder]

So many threads on this over the last couple of years. OP - if you are the sort of person who makes friends easily then maybe the nhs classes/the forum will just great for you. For me I managed to get on a local class, loved the 6 weeks or so of being in a small group of 6 having a weekly class learning new stuff, and the ready made group all had our babies within 4 weeks of each other and it was invaluable support. 3.5 yrs later some of us have moved but still keep in touch and some meet v regularly - I also keep in touch with the NCT teacher we had and she has also been great support when things were tough.

[hellosailor]

Pickle makes a very good point about location, if you do nct and are in a group where everyone lives in easy walking distance then you're more likely to meet more, if you can't find a space on your local group (need to book super early!) and so end up doing a group that's less local, it may mean you don't live that close to your group.

[esme]

I'd say main point is making friends. I kept my money and just did King's classes - okay, not great. NCT def better in terms of information but not critical. Your choice at the end of the day. Had I had more money at the time I probably would have done NCT classes, to make more friends and support the NCT, great organisation! Tho I did in fact make 3 lasting friends at my King's classes as it turned out, albeit after we gave birth!!!

[simonethebeaver]

I did the NCT and the NHS breastfeeding class and hypnobirthing antenatally, and Baby Sensory postnatally. I would say in my personal experience that the NCT class provided the best opportunity to make good friendships, and my group was close. We're all back at work now and struggling to meet up together but do nights out, and then see group members with their babies when we can according to when we're working. We also emailed a lot. My small group of hypnobirthers also bonded. I met a nice woman at the NHS BF class. Come Baby Sensory I ended up with a mixed group of NCT, hypnobirthing and BF class people all becoming friendly!

I would say though that from my observation, NCT groups do often stick together round here - you see them on Peckham Rye in little herds - and often attend post-baby things together, and from the things I've done by myself, it can feel a bit daunting when there are ready-made groups going along.

I wanted to meet up with people from this board before I gave birth, but in the early stages the meetings were either when I was working or too knackered to go out, and then I got crippling SPD so the only things I went out for were NCT classes and medical appointments. I do know though that loads of people on here have made great friendships through it.

[Kes]

I found the classes invaluable for the people I met, although not for the information given. I did the 6 week course and our teacher (not in ED) handed us a schedule of who was going to arrange meet ups for about 5 months after the babies were born so we pretty much stuck to that depite there being a 2 month gap between the babies being born in the end. The meets ups fell away a bit as people moved out of London or went back to work but I still see 2 of the group regularly plus another for occasional meals out.

I'd have some concerns about meeting people after as I wasn't able to get out and about for a long time and I often found when I did get to baby groups they were full of cliques - generally from NCT groups (although again this wasn't in ED so it may be different here).

If I had my time again I'd do NCT and NHS as the information at my classes was strongly biased towards natural birth, I was if anything over confident when I went into labour and came out of an emergency c-section feeling like a failure - my teacher made it pretty clear when we met up again that I was which didn't really help! So if interventions etc aren't covered or are just "stuff evil doctors will do to you if you don't have a drug free home birth" I'd get a bit of extra information somewhere else too!

[oimissus]

Mine were definitely worth it, and 2 and a half years on still in contact with 4 out of the 6 couples that did it with us. And our teacher (Becky in Nunhead) was very good indeed, covered everything and made it clear that NCT didn't stand for Natural Birth Trust. So on that basis would thoroughly recommend.

[Sanne Panne]

It was good for me (I knew a lot from obsessive reading already) and great for my husband (who did want to learn but wasn't going to read a gazillion books). And I still have friends 4 years after the classes started. The baby clubs on the forum look great, weren't there 4 years ago but I still recommend NCT for a good group discussion of your own thoughts about birth and an invaluable preparation for your partner.

[Convex]

if you can afford it, then definitely do it. best case you make friends for life, worst case you are well prepared for birth. but as other posters have said:

book early to get a local class

check the teacher covers everything and isn't biased against c-section for example (makes me angry that anyone would be made to feel bad about a c section from an antenatal instructor of all people)

take the initiative at the end if nobody else does to go out for lunch as a group and swap email addresses etc. our teacher did a social calendar for us too which was great.

I've been super lucky with my group but we were all keen to make friends too and that made it easy to get to know each other. we are on email constantly and i feel like I've made some really good friends.

[Convex]

also do the bf workshop via kings, it was very helpful. nct do cover it but worth doing both.

[reneet]

I think it totally depends on the type of person you are. I had my first child elsewhere, moved here and was not able to make any friends. When I got pregnant again I joined the baby group on EDF, I went to a few meetings but there were so many mums and I really did not feel I connected with anyone. I then went for an Intensive NCT class run by Tess in ED and it was fantastic. The class was good although but the support I later got from my fellow NCT class members was invaluable. I have ranted with this ladies, cried with them and got completely drunk with them.

We really suuported each other, gave each other tips that have worked on our babies, groups and classes that we have attended and were good. We all had very different style of doing things but we have supported each other in whatever they were doing. Have been very candid and frank with each other as well.

I am that kind of person who will happily chat to people in public but it takes me a while to make a connection and be very comfortable with people to ask their numbers and emails and addresses and ask to meet again and so forth. NCT took care of all that for us. Tess gave us a list of everyones address, telephone number and email. She arranged our first 5 meet ups for us, with each meetup with a pre-determined organiser who had to book a venue and remind others.

I have meet some wonderful people whom if not through NCT I would never have met, or I would have met but never would have got close to as I would not really have invited myself to their house or invited them to mine on my own accord or even asked for their number. (It has taken me a year to get the number of a mum I know).

I think, it depends on the type of person you are, and the type of NCT group you end up with. My advise is if you want NCT just for the social aspect, go for the one closest to you. And if you are good at meeting people and getting close to them, then there are alot of groups in ED that you can go to, including the season baby groups on EDF.

[eco79]

I went to the free classes at Dulwich hospital.

I find NCT a very self-selecting group. If you can afford the fees, you can join the club. It also ensures everybody in your antenatal class is 'just like you'.

Our antenatal class at Dulwich ranged from the over 40, hypnobirthing devotee and husband to the frightened single 17 year old there with her best friend. And we all benefited from sharing our worries and expectations of pregnancy. And what a pleasure! To share something so special with such a diverse group of people.

[Convex]

deleted as i shouldn't have risen to the bait.