tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post1295434863034709113..comments2023-08-18T05:55:03.778-07:00Comments on Mumroll: TEN THINGS I WISH I'D LEARNED IN ANTENATAL CLASSESHayley Dunlophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383185404902577554noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-78191534411314357022018-06-11T14:04:39.924-07:002018-06-11T14:04:39.924-07:00Check out the Daisy Foundation 😊Check out the Daisy Foundation 😊Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12894456140927239867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-48884206339623669762016-07-07T22:10:28.836-07:002016-07-07T22:10:28.836-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738055572349628866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-88343064597390158932016-03-17T11:31:35.257-07:002016-03-17T11:31:35.257-07:00I've now made some edits and additions to addr...I've now made some edits and additions to address your points.Hayley Dunlophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17383185404902577554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-91749646625364398432016-03-17T07:43:10.389-07:002016-03-17T07:43:10.389-07:00Thanks so much for commenting. I did hear from num...Thanks so much for commenting. I did hear from numerous NCT teachers when I was researching this post but none were willing to be quoted (which I totally understand). So it's good, and important, to get another perspective. I tried really hard when writing this post not to be seen to be having a go at the NCT because the charity does brilliant work, for which I'll be forever grateful. As I mentioned, overall I enjoyed the classes, and was glad that I had done them. And all of the above is written with the benefit of tons and tons of hindsight, and it would of course be impossible for any antenatal class - NCT or otherwise - to cover EVERYTHING. But to address you points: yes, in our group we did set an agenda at the start, and I think above everything else we specifically didn't want to focus on the birth, but it still did. We did go through c-sections but nothing about recovery. There was nothing (that I can remember) about mothers needing time to rest and getting help after giving birth, but this was more of a broader point about the pressure women put on themselves in western societies when they have a baby, and how I wish *someone* - not necessarily the NCT - had told me it was OK to lie down for a fortnight and to let someone else look after the baby. I do definitely appreciate your points about the first aid (which was someone else's view rather than my own) and poo - I will add in editor's notes as soon as I can (currently manhandling a squirmy post-nap baby whilst typing one-handed!) to redress the balance here. Thank you againHayley Dunlophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17383185404902577554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-30087648327750609262016-03-17T07:18:32.426-07:002016-03-17T07:18:32.426-07:00I'm wondering if you set an agenda in the firs... I'm wondering if you set an agenda in the first session of your course, and whether there were a lot of questions about birth on it and how to prepare for birth. There usually are, which is why the courses spend a lot of time discussing it - it's because it's what parents ask to do. <br /><br />BTW - I'm an NCT teacher and I've observed a few NHS classes. In my experience they cover exactly the same ground as NCT classes, just much faster (more chalk and talk), and with much less discussion. <br /><br />I hope you don't mind me saying - I think it's unfair of you to complain that your NCT course didn't cover first aid. You must have been aware of this fact when you signed up. It's like signing up for a swimming course and then complaining because it didn't cover scuba diving! First aid needs to be taught properly by a fully qualified first aid instructor, and it's really not a good idea to do it weeks or even months before your baby arrives. Having a baby appears to have a serious impact on people's recall of antenatal preparation, which make antenatal infant first aid learning a problem. This is why midwives and antenatal teachers don't do demonstrations of how to make up formula feeds before a baby is born - research has shown that people who learn to do it in this way have very inaccurate recall and may make a bottle up unsafely. The ideal is to be shown one to one after the birth. <br /><br />It probably accounts for why as an antenatal teacher I often sit with my head in my hands at reunions listening to people tell me things like 'we wished we'd covered colic' on the course, when actually we HAD, at length! Accompanied by diagrams, information on flip-charts, handouts (unread), audio tapes of crying babies, follow up emails (never read)... <br /><br />"We were told in the NCT classes that as long as they are producing lots of wet and dirty nappies your baby is, in all likelihood, fine." <br /><br />Sorry - but having seen newborn babies being readmitted to hospital with severe feeding problems evidenced, but not acted on, by parents unaware that a lack of wee and poo often indicates a feeding problem that needs addressing ASAP, I think antenatal teachers need to encourage parents to consult a health professional if a baby is not pooing in the first week. In any case, the handout ('what's in a nappy') which all parents are directed to is very clear - the first sloppy yellow poos are seen on about day 5/6. The sheet is also very clear that older breastfed babies may poo much less, but that in the first week sloppy yellow nappies are a sign of good feeding. <br /><br />Re: 'having a set idea about how things should go' - did your classes not cover emergency c-section? NCT classes are ALL supposed to cover this - how it happens, how frequently it happens, recovery from c-section etc. <br /><br />Finally, this: "but I really wish I'd been told that's it's OK to give yourself a break and, crucially, to accept help rather than try and be some high-achieving supermum from the outset." as a comment in an article about what you did or didn't learn in your NCT classes? Are you saying that your NCT classes left you with the impression that you shouldn't rest and allow yourself all the time you need for recovery after the birth? Wshindshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10628568527546942307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-30421039413238309122016-03-17T06:31:31.039-07:002016-03-17T06:31:31.039-07:00Thanks for your comment and for clarifying that in...Thanks for your comment and for clarifying that inaccuracy, which I've corrected. I truly doubt whether there's a "perfect" antenatal class out there, as there's always bound to be something that gets left out. I only have the experience of the NCT one to go by. As I say in the post, I think it would be impossible to encompass absolutely everything, but I ultimately wish I'd come away feeling empowered and open-minded, rather than have a set idea about how things should go.Hayley Dunlophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17383185404902577554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273589881038660207.post-39911231281148148942016-03-17T05:38:43.656-07:002016-03-17T05:38:43.656-07:00Interesting thoughts on the NCT, I wonder if other...Interesting thoughts on the NCT, I wonder if other offerings are as comprehensive in what they cover, would the NHS classes cover everything you needed within their free classes? Thank you for sharing your experience. Just a note, The first 1000 days starts at the day of conception not the first day of welcoming your baby to your arms. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10244166529908205402noreply@blogger.com