Anti-natal Classes - Your thoughts

[carron81]

Just wondering what people think of anti natal classes?

I never went to any as I think that parenting really comes naturally and our grannies and their grannies all managed well without all these modern classes telling them how to wind a baby or change a nappy. My mum never went to any and she done a good job raising me and my brother

I think i'm doing a really good job and I've not read one book or been to any classes. My little one is 20 weeks now and she's been sleeping through the night since about 10 weeks, shes now on solids and she is as happy as a baby could be

The reason I ask this is because a family member has been going to these and has said to us a few times we should've gone as they got to watch a video of a birth and she now thinks she knows everything about labour. My reply to that was - my boyfriend has 2 kids with an ex - so i said he's already been to 2 births and still cried for 3 hours at ours because everything went wrong, so if being to 2 births doesn't prepare you then what on earth will!!! Dont get me wrong if she wants to do that then good for her but she shouldn't be telling us that we shoudlve gone and watched birth videos.

My opinion is, no matter how much you read or prepare nothing can prepare you for the pain wheather its a good or bad labour and I really cant even describe now to someone that hasn't had kids what the feeling is like because I've never felt anything like it in my life.

[redcrx]

ganesh, in your case perhaps your baby was engaged and couldnt turn, i didnt say that all babies could be turned with advice on position.. But during the last few weeks when baby is engaing it is possible to sit in certain positions to encourage baby to go face down and with his back to your front.

Its all to do with the fact that nowadays we sit back in chairs and generally are more titlted backwards than women were years ago. We dont get down on all fours to scrub floors for example.

something which i learnt at my antenatal class Im afraid. I also got tips from my midwife to turn a breach baby too

[redcrx]

carron, youve done nothing wrong by not going. Its not compulsary. Your friend just found it better for her to go.

There will always be those that will say a mother is doing something wrong, crikey on some forums ive seen youd be hung for not breastefeeding or even thinking about giving your baby solids before 6 months. Every mother is different and all we can do is listen to what others say, take it in and then make our own minds up

[redcrx]

when i say "you'd" i dont mean you, just any new poster who chose these options

[carron81]

thats what i keep getting told because my 1st is that good my 2nd will be a little horror!!!!

my friends said since i had a awful pregnancy i should have a good birth..... that myth wasn't true!!! lol

[redcrx]

id heard that if first 2 years are good then next 2 are bad lol.

Ive got a 3 year old and a 7 month old and both have always been very good.

[villa_fan007]

we went and i could'nt beleive it when this one guy tried the marmite straight out of the doll's nappy .....two fingers worth aswell...but we found them very usefull ...and wish we had gone to them the second time round , just to prepare us.

[Ice.Maiden]

I found that learning breathing techniques was very useful, but apart from that, the classes really didn't tell me anything which I hadn't already gleaned from my mum and friends anyway. I had a 25 hour labour with my first, but was very lucky, because the pain never reached the level I was expecting. I was more excited than anything, and had both children naturally - no stitches or anything. Having said that, a friend's daughter recently had her third baby. She'd had a similar experience to me over her first two, but this latest one was something else. She says she'll never have any more.