Antenatal classes

Why are antenatal classes useful?

A good antenatal class will tell you all you need to know about:

• How you can prepare for the birth: You’ll probably find out about exercises you can do to help get in good shape for giving birth, and get tips on breathing techniques. Your partner may be shown some handy massage skills they can use to help you stay relaxed both before and during labour.
• What you can expect during labour and birth: Your antenatal classes will give information about the whole process of labour and birth, including details of medical procedures and interventions. (Some will even show a video of a real birth!) You will also be encouraged to think about the changes you could expect to happen to both you and your partner during pregnancy and after the birth of your baby.
• How to manage labour and birth: You’ll have the chance to learn about various birth positions you could use and experiment with them before the big day. You’ll also be given information about pain relief choices, look at various situations that could occur during labour so you can work out in advance what you would want to happen.
• Preparing for life with your new baby: Antenatal classes also help you to prepare for life with your new baby, both emotionally and practically. It’s a great opportunity to get tips directly from the health care professional, not to mention other experienced mums who might be there too.
• Information on infant feeding
• Social time: Not all your friends may be expecting so might not be able to relate exactly to what you’re going through. These classes give you the perfect opportunity to have a good chat with other mums–to-be and dads who’ll have similar concerns and questions to yours. In fact many mums find they stay in touch with those they meet at antenatal class and even become good friends for life.

The key is to plan ahead. Most classes run over four to eight weeks in the last months of your pregnancy. However, you can book your place from 12 weeks into your pregnancy and most mums-to-be do this. Why not make a note in your diary now to do some research during the early stages of your pregnancy?

What kind of antenatal classes are there?

• Private classes for which you will need to pay
• Classes held at your local hospital are usually free. There’s a surprisingly wide variety of different types of courses and the approach can vary from class to class, teacher to teacher
• Child birth educators and midwives also offer evening and weekend classes
• Something to suit you both: If your partner is your birth partner, couples’ classes can help you prepare together for labour and can allow you to feel closer to each other. Couples’ antenatal classes can also really help a nervous dad-to-be feel reassured about the birth and get more involved with your pregnancy
• Get to know your birthing environment: Many mums-to-be are now offered an opportunity to visit the hospital where you plan to give birth. Tours of all the facilities are available at certain times to give you a clearer picture of what to expect