Get ready for parenthood with an antenatal class from NCT, the UK's leading charity for pregnancy, birth, infant feeding and early parenthood.
So much great information that even the best researched parents-to-be will get plenty out of it. All presented in an open, honest space that's free of judgement. Bonus is that you'll meet people who are going through the same stages you are, which is a comfort all on it's own.
I’m a paediatrician. Despite having a reasonable degree of background knowledge, I still found NCT classes really helpful. I think there’s a huge expectation on parents to make some very serious and medical decisions about childbirth which can be overwhelming and antenatal classes are really important. NCT provides instructors who are qualified and experienced. We were told about NICE guidelines, hypnobirthing and local statistics which helped us to make a birth plan that suited us. Huge amount of resources were made available which were really valuable and we will continue to access post-birth. It’s also lovely to meet other local expectant parents. We’ve had a lovely group who are a good source of support and advice.
Going into the course we had varied expectation on what we would get out of it. In all areas it exceeded our expectations. We had a lovely group of fellow parents to be. The course leaders were all enthusiastic, engaging and heartfelt with how they delivered the course content. All in all, we came away feeling much more confident and excited about what was previously a very daunting upcoming life event.
As part of a small group, you’ll learn about physical and emotional changes during pregnancy, what to expect during labour and birth, newborn care, infant feeding, and tools for the early days with a new baby.
Our sessions are structured with flexibility for open discussion and cover our five core themes.
Explore your choices and feel confident planning the birth that’s right for you.
Learn how to care for, understand, and bond with your newborn in those early days.
Find out how feeding works, what to expect, and where to get support.
Understand how to look after your physical and emotional wellbeing as a new parent.
Get practical guidance on navigating change and building a strong support network.
Includes
17 hours of classes
2 people included in price, could be your partner, family member or friend
Online and in-person options
Access to online parenting resources
Pay in interest-free instalments
Discounts available for low income households
Book now from
£299
Community
Join a community over 3 million parents who have taken an NCT Antenatal Course.
Connection
95% of parents are still in touch with their NCT friends after having their baby.
Confidence
Over 70 years delivering trusted, evidenced-based support and information to parents.
Credibility
Voted #1 Best Antenatal Course in 2025 in the Loved By Parents awards.
Charity
We’re the UK’s largest charity for parents and your course fees will support vital programs, like NCT’s Infant Feeding Support Line.
Our antenatal classes are designed to finish with at least two weeks before your due date.
You can book at anytime - most people book when they're around 16 weeks pregnant - but our courses can fill fast, so don't leave it too long. Early bookers can spread the cost of the class over monthly interest-free instalments.
Showing 12 of 18 courses
You can contact us through web chat on this page or take a look at our answers to frequently asked questions.
We use your expected due date to determine how suitable a class is for you.
Ideally we want the class to end 3-7 weeks before you're due, but that can be expanded to 2-9 weeks. You will see classes marked as ideal, good, ok and not suitable in the results.
Other personal factors you should consider are:
We allow a max of 18 people (up to 9 pairs), but on average it’s 10 to 14 people. We keep our groups small, so there’s more time to connect, ask questions and get to know each other.
We can't tell you exactly what will be taught in each session because the number and length of sessions can differ between scheduled courses, and your course leader will tailor the content to the needs of the group.
We can tell you that all our courses will cover the five overall themes:
We encourage you to book a class where you can make all sessions, as we can't move you into a session in a different class.
Depending on circumstances, we can offer you an online replacement session that will cover one of the five core themes. See our terms and conditions for details.
We understand things don’t always go to plan. You can cancel a booking within 14 days of confirmation without charge. There’s also options for changing your booking. Find out more about cancellation and refunds.
Absolutely. We want to make our courses accessible to all. Please let us know in advance if you have specific accessibility requirements - you can get in touch with us via email at booking.support@nct.org.uk, web chat or by calling 0300 330 0700 (option 2).
Interest-free instalments are available when there is enough time to have monthly instalments between the booking date and the start of the class - this will be indicated on the class when you search.
We offer discounts to households earning less than £35,000 per year. Find out more about our class discounts and eligibility.
To request a discount, find the course you want to attend, select 'show payment & discount information' and then 'check eligibility & apply'.
We regularly hold online classes for people who want to attend an NCT Antenatal class but:
Yes! As part of your class, you'll get access to our NCT Parent Hub, an exclusive digital content platform, where you'll find evidenced-based articles, informative videos and links to useful resources all together in one place to support your learning.