Antenatal and NCT

[positivity :)]

Hello ladies

Can anyone tell me what i will actually learn at antenatal classes? is it all giving birth related?

i ask because my OH told me something the other day about not being able to bath a baby for the first weeks because the ambilical (sp?) will still be attached so we will have to just wash him.

anyway, it got me thinking, i dont actually know anything about babies and what to do with them!

do the NCT classes do this? has anyone been? are they full of mummys who lunch and have too much money and time on their hands? would be interested to know of anyones experiences?
xx

 

[pinkyprincess]

I'm having my classes with the NHS which are free and you only do 2 (to be honest i'm not THAT worried about baby care as I've had 2 news borns in the same house as me in the last 6 years so I know how to bath and feed them lol)

My 1st class (3 hrs long) will be on the birth and my second class (also 3 hours) will be aftercare and breastfeeding I believe. I think you just need to wash them with water and cotton wool when they arrive untill the cord falls off (could be wrong tho!)

 

[Lisa_85]

i thought they could be bathed straight away? completely guessing though although i heard just to use water and cotton wool and not the bath wash etc at first.

Oh im starting to worry, i have babysat so i know how to feed, burp, change nappies and clothes and cuddle and i have washed a baby but i no nothing of the first few days/weeks. I watched a breast feeding DVD which was quite helpful but assumed that ill learn more at anti natal classes, which i havent applied for because i though i had to wait until i had seen the midwife on thursday?

xx

 

[positivity :)]

yeah you can wash them but just not bath them? x

 

[LoopyLouize]

I just read on baby centre that you can bath them as soon as you like. Apparently it doesn't make a difference to the healing or infections of the cord.

I think I will go with how I feel comfortable with the most and at the mo I think cleaning with cotton wool and water sounds favourable lol until I get more used to having a baby.

X


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[pinkyprincess]

I agree Louize, they can be very wriggly and slippy when wet!

 

[LoopyLouize]

Pinky it did suggest that on baby centre too - can imagine baby being abit slippery if you put oil n baby products in the bath.

I'm scared now as I have only just realised how clueless I actually am lol!


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[jomc]

Hun I booked NCT which I start end of Oct. Cost me £168.

Here are the class details of mine:

Sat 29Oct 11am til 3.30pm
Tue 1st Nov 19.30 - 21.30
Thurs 3rd Nov 10am-12.30pm (women only)
Tues 8th Nov 19.30-21.30
Tues 15Nov 19.30-21.30 (breastfeeding session)
Sat 19Nov 11am-15.30
REUNION MEETING 30jan 10-12

From 6 people I have spoken to, their hubbys loved the NCT as it was more in depth and dealt alot about aftercare. This is appar the main concern for these blokes as they generally dont have as much experience as women around babies and this is what my hubby said to me. He has zero experience and his friends recommended this to us

 

[Bunnykins]

We've just finished our nct classes, they were great for the bloke as there was a,lot of focus on them not just us Mums, we've made some fab friends, there was only 6 couples on ours so we really got the chance to bond, especially as your encouraged to go off into male and female groups for some of the activities, so us girls would chat about our worries or experiences while we were doing them.
My classes covered labour, so all the different stages and exactly what happens to your body, breathing exercises, positions etc, it covered all the pain relief, birth options and intervention options, and the risks and benefits of these, it also covered how to change a nappy, how to bath/clean a baby, how to develop a routine, how to cope with the newborns demands in the first few weeks. She also covered anything we wanted to know really, and there was a whole session on how to breast feed and any probs you might face etc.
I found some of it a bit obvious but I also learnt alot and so did hubby, I'm glad we did them to be honest and it has led to me changing my birthplan now I'm aware of my options!!

 

[jomc]

We've just finished our nct classes, they were great for the bloke as there was a,lot of focus on them not just us Mums, we've made some fab friends, there was only 6 couples on ours so we really got the chance to bond, especially as your encouraged to go off into male and female groups for some of the activities, so us girls would chat about our worries or experiences while we were doing them.
My classes covered labour, so all the different stages and exactly what happens to your body, breathing exercises, positions etc, it covered all the pain relief, birth options and intervention options, and the risks and benefits of these, it also covered how to change a nappy, how to bath/clean a baby, how to develop a routine, how to cope with the newborns demands in the first few weeks. She also covered anything we wanted to know really, and there was a whole session on how to breast feed and any probs you might face etc.
I found some of it a bit obvious but I also learnt alot and so did hubby, I'm glad we did them to be honest and it has led to me changing my birthplan now I'm aware of my options!!

Great to hear u enjoyed it! Im looking forward to mine!

 

[Georgie0]

I went for the NHS classes which, tbh, weren't very helpful. I have been reading and doing lots of research and i didn't learn anything new at all. I wish i'd forke out and gone for the NCT ones now!

 

[nickynoo...]

We've booked NCT as neither of us have a clue! never even changed a nappy

Cost £190 in total but we dont know anyone with babies so I'm also hoping to meet some people we'll want to see again. Asked the midwife re NHS classes and she said you just get 1 3hr session in this area.

Start at the beginning of October and I'm looking forward to learning what it's all about!

 

[knopk@]

I do recommend NCT, I did both NCT and free ones but NCT ones you do involve your partner which is good.
We also met lovely people in our area who are due around the sane time.

AND you are not recommended to bathe a baby straight away, you top and tail them. And better not to use any products/wipes for a couple of weeks.

In terms of ladies who lunch, all of the ladies who I met are working so not snobby at all (except for 1 couple).
You will cover birth, postnatal, how to care for the baby, breastfeeding etc

 

[NinjaKitty]

I booked NCT classes after a friend recommended them. I also got me me and DH membership for a year. Didn't know it was meant to be a posh ladies club, I s=deffo won't fit in then looooool.

However did get a local newsletter through the post which was quite useful as it contained lots of local contacts, events and peoples recent birth experiences in my local hospital.

My only complaint is that I's quite like to go to one of the Bump and Baby meets they do to meet people who will have babies about the same age as mine. However they all seem to be mid-week during the day which is not very helpful if you work fulltime.

 

[Mrs CW]

I decided to book NCT classes as I was told my local NHS class was full and that I'd have to go to a different area in the city which isn't in walking distance and it would be during the day which I know I'm entitled to go to but I don't really want to have too much time away from work. Also hubby and I have very little experience of newborns so wanted something a bit more indepth.
My mum did NCT classes when she was expecting my brother and is still really good friends which several of the people from the classes which is something OH and I are hoping for. x x x

 

[Constantstar]

About bathing - Owen left special care at 1 week old. They showed us how to bath him and his belly button was still clamped ! They gave us this talc stuff to put on it to dry it out after his bath xxxx

 

[Sleepy sue]

How far along should you be when you go to these ? X

 

[NinjaKitty]

The ones I booked were advertised as in Dec for people due in January. However my friend advised booking then ASAP because the places go fast.

 

[jomc]

Im due mid-dec and mine starts end of Oct

 

[ippa]

I did Nct! They really helped, sometimes you have to take what they say with a pinch of salt though!
I still see the girls in my class at least once a week! So was definitely worth it!
XxX


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