Hi, have got some National Childbirth Trust antenatal classes booked for this Saturday and the week after. The first one is about labour etc & the next one is about how to look after a newborn baby. I was just wondering if anyone had been to them or similar antenatal classes as I'm planning on taking my partner & wondering if they'll freak him out more than necessary or whether they're helpful.
I've never been to any proper antenatal classes (I went to 1 hour at the NHS which was about as informative & detailled as staring at my wall - although the midwife was lovely) so would be very grateful for any experiences
x

My husband has found them very helpful. In order for your partner to support you during labour, it is important for them to understand the physiological processes of labour and birth, what's going on when and HOW they can help/support.

I'm doing NCT classes, but mine are 8x2 hour evening classes. We have looked in detail at a lot of areas, including birth positions, massage and relaxation techniques. Very helpful and I'd say if you are booked onto a couples course then take your partner (some of them are women only courses) as there will be a good amount of couples work if they are anything like mine, and out of 8 couples, one lady doesn't bring her partner and always just sits out which is a shame.

I'd say to people if they are offered NHS classes as well, then not to discount them as I thought I wasn't being offered them, then I was and then I remembered being told they're not that good, but I started them last night and while they offer a different perspective to NCT (which is good for people like me who can't have the happy clappy birth they promote), I have found it just as beneficial.

We went to our first NCT class last night, there were 7 couples there and we did some group work in female / male groups which was nice to get a sense of the issues and how they differ from the ladies and men's perspectives. we've got 6 classes all evenings for 2.5 hours each.

ive been to the nct classes didnt take my oh as he wouldnt have liked it took my mum instead they were good and nice to meet people but id didnt learn anything i didnt already know but i had been reading alot of books and reasearch due to not working and being bored! x

Definitely take your partner esp if he is going to be your birthing partner.

They are really good.

My husband and I both thought the NCT classes were great. Our antenatal teacher did an excellent job of helping the men to understand their role as birthing partners. The classes didn't freak them out at all because they came away feeling like they had a much clearer sense of what to expect and how to support a woman in labour. A lot of the men there, my OH included, hadn't had a chance to speak to other men who were about to become fathers and I think it was really good for them.

The brilliant added bonus with NCT classes is that you're enouraged to stay in touch and meet up with the other people in your class. After the birth, having other people to talk to who are going through the same stuff is invaluable.

We both loved our NCT classes. Hubby keeps telling other men that they should book them now. We really looked forward to each one. The only dissapointment would be the breast feeding sessions which were a bit wishy washy ( and done by a different teacher) but thats was only 2 sessions and the rest was worth every penny!!!