Antenatal Classes- Essential or not?

[kay126]

Just wondering if antenatal classes are compulsory? Just because Im currently mostly living with my BF about an hour away from my hospital where ill be giving birth to bubs but ill be taking enough days off to travel home for M/W appts and scans i cant really take moreeee days of for antenatal appts- are they really that important these days- honest opinions? can we not just get by with all the info on the web and books these days? xxx

 

[x_MrsE_x]

With my last two i never once was told or went to antenatal classes, would have liked to with my first as i was on 19 at the time.

 

[MrsR]

I never went to classes first time and won't be bothering this time x it's a completely personal choice but I don't know anyone who's taken them x

 

[megsmeadow]

I''ll be starting my antenatal classes on the 10th, my mum did comment that she had my sis and I without classes and many many people have survived without! I think it really depends on what you are happy with!
I was also given this book (the website is pretty much the same) when I first visited my GP, it's produced by NHS Scotland but I'm sure many of the standards are the same. http://www.readysteadybaby.org.uk/

 

[serenitylove]

i went to them with my dd and im glad i did as when things went very quickly tits up i knew and understood what was happening where i was being taken etc id already met alot of the staff it was only 2 evenings and am glad i did it

 

[kiki]

I went to them and enjoyed them as it was fun to spend time doing "baby stuff" but as far as the information it wasn't really anything that I hadn't read in one of my many pregnancy magazies and books. I think my partner found them quite interesting as he didn't really know what to expect in the delivery room.

 

[amyjayne77]

Never went to one with any of them. Never got offered them either!

 

[PippaJ]

I went to my breastfeeding one which was useful. I missed my birthing one as it was cancelled due to snow and as a result I didn't really know much about birth or what to expect, how to breathe etc when I had Evie. I'd say if you're a first timer then they are useful but if you've done it all before they prob don't tell you anything you don't already know

 

[KatieB]

Hi I went to antenatal classes with my first....3 evenings for a couple of hours with our OH's then every thurs afternoon for 6 weeks with just the mummies to be!! In our area we only get offered them with first babies. I can say I didn't really learn anything as such but met one of my best friends there. It was nice to be with someone who was going through the same thing as I was and if her friendship is the only thing I walked away with I'm glad I went! NCT do them if you can't make ones offered at GP's surgery/hosp x x

 

[JJ Mum]

I didn't feel I learnt much, but it was a laugh. I had booked in sections in the end, so I won't know if anything would have been useful in labour as I have never been in labour.

But I would say if you can do them, grab the oportunity as , it was like being on here, you met mums that were due withing 6-8 weeks of yourself and then afterwards you all meet up and do coffee all with your babies and the mums I met then are some of the my best friends now, even though lots of us have moved away from the local area now. All our kids grew up together and still meet now every now and then.

If you have just moved to a new area , do them, best way of meeting people around you.
I moved areas and had my last child so couldn't really do them, and I should have made sure I did something like that.

This time when I get pregnant again, I will be looking into a refresdher one that NCT do, so that I can meet mums, in the same boat, even If I learn nothing, I want to meet mums.

PS - I'm not really a billy no mates!

 

[mrsH2009]

I found them useful as we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of different pain relief, the stages of labour and breastfeeding but they aren't compulsary