Fun, local and social - NCT antenatal courses deliver you a famously interactive and informative experience to grow your knowledge, your confidence and your support network.
We are the biggest antenatal course provider empowering 90,000 parents each year, and we’re a charity. In these uncertain times, trust our 60 years’ of experience to deliver you the gold-standard in antenatal classes. Know that your money goes to support more parents to have the best possible experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.
Why choose our antenatal course
NCT experts here for you
We lead the field in parenting education. Every NCT antenatal course leader is trained to the highest standard in partnership with the University of Worcester, licensed and professionally developed to guarantee a gold-standard antenatal course packed with the very latest trusted information, practical skills and in-depth local knowledge.
Online or in-person you'll make friends for life
We’ll bring you together with other local parents expecting babies at the same time to make vital connections and life-long friends in your community. Our antenatal classes contain plenty of built-in bonding time - you’ll work in different pairs and small groups, practicing new skills to get conversation flowing and connections sparking. Growing together as friends and parents, supporting each other on Messenger and WhatsApp when you need it most, you’ll make your friends for life.
Innovators not imitators
Our 750 expert course leaders are supremely skilled in accessing the latest trusted information, adapting how courses are delivered and tailoring individual support to your local circumstances, as changes happen. With courses online 24 hours after social distancing began, we’ve supported over 50,000 parents-to-be with our antenatal courses since the pandemic began. You can confidently choose NCT to equip you with everything you need to know about pregnancy, birth and the early days as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
Smaller groups, greater experiences
Our course groups are purposely smaller than our competitors; we allow an absolute maximum of nine couples . This enables our course leaders to give you the time, attention and support you deserve in the optimal group size for forming the life-long friendships you need.
And the support doesn’t end there…
As life with Covid-19 continues, with health services stretched and other practical and emotional support unavailable, we are here. Each antenatal course includes focussed support time with your course leader to address your specific questions. There's also a truly special postnatal reunion where your group, babies and course leader reunite to talk and reflect - we’ll run these in-person as soon as it's safe to do so and our comprehensive postnatal support extends into the years ahead.
What you'll learn
With mountains of advice out there for parents it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure. We provide evidence-based information and help you explore your options. We empower you to decide which information to trust and confidently make your own decisions that are right for you and your family.
- Planning for a positive birth experience
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- Deciding where to have your baby, local options and care
- Changing hormones and going into labour
- Stages of labour & birth
- Induction of labour and when help is needed
- Caesarean birth and recovery
- Helping yourself & supporting through labour and birth
- Pain management options
- Having a baby during Covid-19
- Meeting your baby & what happens immediately after birth
- Getting to know and caring for your baby
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- Your baby’s experience moving from the womb to the world
- Understanding your baby's cues and how they sleep, wake and rest
- Learning what your baby's nappy tells you and how to change them
- Washing and bathing your baby
- Soothing and calming your baby
- Exploring where your baby sleeps and how to keep them safe
- Your relationship with your baby and how they develop and learn
- Feeding your baby
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- How to get breastfeeding off to a good start
- Understanding your baby's reflexes and cues
- Understanding how breastfeeding works
- Night feeds and sleeping
- Expressing
- How to tell that all is going well
- Different positions for feeding and how to try them
- Different challenges
- Where and how to get support
- Wellbeing before and after birth
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- Knowing what makes you feel good and keeps you well
- Physical and mental health after birth
- Relaxation techniques
- Coping with lack of sleep
- Changing relationships & adjusting to life as a family
- Sources of support for you and your family
- Making plans
- Your family, relationships and finding support
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- Becoming a parent
- Changing relationships
- Growing a support network
- Accessing professional help and support
- Negotiating advice and support from peers, family and friends