Hi my wife and I are looking for some advice. We are rapidly approaching our first children (19 weeks to go) and to add complexity we are expecting twins.
We have had multiple opinions on NCT and it’s benefits and value for money. Some people seem to rate it and some highlight it as a (quite expensive) networking event for new parents.
We did NCT, but booked late and so by the time we did 2 couple dropped out as their kids came a bit earlier than expected! It was also a bit further in Dulwich so we didn’t really end up keeping in touch with anyone else so for us it was not great.
That said I’ve heard other people make life long friends and I think if done over a longer period it can be useful to have other people to rely on.
We didn’t do it with our second child, and there are always lots of other groups locally you can connect with for the social aspect both before and after the birth.
Personally I’d skip it but lots of others have liked it - not sure that is very helpful!
We did it for my first, but got little out of it and didn’t bother again. However, I was in a position where I had two sisters who had already had children so I was well versed in what to expect. I do know plenty of people who got a great deal out of it and as mentioned in the last post, people make life-long friends from NCT.
One of the venues I run has regular NCT groups meet and so I also see it from that side, the people who run these classes are very enthusiastic and helpful, and they seem to really take their time delivering information and advice, so I don’t think, unless you really know what you are doing, it couldn’t be considered a waste of money.
We did NCT for the first child at the Normanton St Church a few years back. The course was well presented, but the most value was from making local friends with others who we still see regularly to this day.
The practical aspects, while seemingly good at the time, felt less relevant looking back after having the baby and there are lots of other sources of info, though NCT was very reassuring ahead of the birth.
100% a no brainer especially if you are new to the area or do not have friends in the area. The last thing you’re going to do with a baby is trek across Central London to meet up with a friend.
It actively encouraged my wife to get out on a regular basis with the young baby to meet the other mum(s) and go for walks. As well as having the whatsapp group to chat to people.
We are still best friends with some of the group to this day and we bump in to them all the time around the area which is great. Some people dropped out of the WhatsApp group early on and there’s nothing wrong with that. I know others who didn’t get along with their group at all and got nothing out of it.
As far as paying money for a networking event… Well… For me there’s no shame in that. But others might have a different opinion.
Ohhhh a tough one. Whilst I enjoyed NCT I’m not sure in hindsight I’d do it again. The info was very focused on birth but not much on the ‘after bit’. But it was useful to meet people and have a WhatsApp group to message with questions/ meet up with people in the week.
I also went to pre natal Pilates during both pregnancies and actually found I made better friends there who I ended up spending a few days a week with over the course of my mat leaves. Don’t be put off by the Hope Centre location- instructor is good and a great way to meet pregnant mums.