As a first time mum I had no doubt about whether I should attend prenatal classes – all information about labour and caring for my baby would be needed! There are many courses out there, but the first decision to make (if you are in the UK) is whether to sign up for the free classes by the National Health Service (NHS) and/or pay for a private course by an organisation such as the National Childbirth Trust (NCT).
In our case we did both and so I wanted to share with you my thoughts about the usefulness (or not) of doing so.
NHS prenatal course : free of charge, 5h, group of eight couples
In our borough, people having their babies in the University College London Hospital (UCLH) are offered a five hour crash course by one of the UCLH midwives. The focus of the course was on labour: the stages of labour, alternatives for birthing places and pain relief, possible complications etc. Very efficient and informative I would say! After the course we felt ready to write our birth plan, something I had been pushing back lacking the confidence before. The midwife was experienced, confident and firm in her beliefs. She was naturally also well informed of the general practices of the UCLH birthing centre and labour ward and could explain well when and where we should go to. This was useful as visits to UCLH are not arranged as it’s a very busy hospital.
NCT prenatal course : ~350£, 19h, group of six couples
The NCT prenatal course covered most of the information we received in the NHS course and more. In addition to labour related topics we also covered for example caring for baby from bathing and nappy changing to different parenting styles (baby-led vs. routine), interpretating baby’s body language, breastfeeding and how to plan your daily routine of taking care of a newborn.
Unlike the NHS midwife, the NCT teacher would not give her opinion on anything. How frustrating! She did warn us that she wasn’t allowed to (?) and in fairness in most cases there is no right or wrong answer. It’s good for us to be informed about alternative solutions and the attached pros and cons and then decide what will work for us and our baby. As a new mum-to-be though, sometimes it’s just nice to be told “do this and you and your baby will be fine”. ☺️
Main motivation for us to take a NCT prenatal course was the social aspect of it. We’d been told its biggest advantage is the networking opportunity with other new parents in your area the course offers. This aim was clear in the way the course programme was organised. Did we need 19 hours to cover the topics? No, we really didn’t, probably ten hours would have been enough. However, stretching the course gave us more time to get to know the other five couples.
The verdict?
Pregnant for the first time? Definitely do the NHS course. Free of charge, information packed and to-the-point briefing on labour. No downside.
If you have the time and the money, consider the NCT course. There is no need to do both but I don’t regret it as the courses are to an extent complimentary. If you are pressed for time, you might find the NCT course too slow. We fully appreciate that the idea is to have time to make acquaintances but when you are very busy, tired and spending your limited free time attending the classes, the pace can feel painfully slow… We will meet up with our group next weekend for dinner and hopefully that set up will feel more natural for mingling. 😊
In my view, a breastfeeding class is useful for sure! This is not covered by the NHS prenatal class but there is a separate course available which could be a good idea if you are not attending a course which includes it. We have also been told that hospitals often have lactation consultants who can help to get mums started with breastfeeding after giving birth, so it’s of course not the end of the world if no course is attended.
I find comfort in knowledge/information and if you are anything like me, I think you’d enjoy the prenatal classes!
Furthermore, having attended both courses with my partner, I would say that it’s a good opportunity for the dads to ask questions and get more involved in the planning and preparation of the birth and the first weeks with the baby.
Half way through week 36! Not long now before it’s our turn to head over to the birthing centre- exciting!
xoxoxo,
Sini