NCT Courses and Covid-19

Covid-19 price promise: If some or all of your course takes place online due to Covid-19, we promise to give you a course price discount related to how much of the course is online. 

Courses until the end of April 2021 are online to bring you local, fully interactive and inclusive courses when Covid-19 infection rates are high and official guidance for pregnant women remains in place – a decision supported by the Royal College of Midwives. 

"Antenatal classes can be incredibly helpful in preparing for childbirth and parenthood – and for meeting and sharing experiences with other parents-to-be. Online classes, like those offered by NCT, are the safest and most practical option currently and still offer those opportunities, even if the experience is different to getting together in person."

- Royal College of Midwives 

We are taking decisions on whether courses from May 2021 onwards will be delivered online or in-person on a month-by month-basis.  We are updating course information on our website and contacting you if have booked a course place explaining why, so you know how your course will run 6-10 weeks before it begins. 

How we make decisions about the delivery of NCT courses

As the UK’s largest parenting charity and leader in the field of antenatal education, we make informed decisions with full consideration to the current and any (confirmed) future UK government restrictions and official guidance and the most reliable research findings and data regarding pregnancy and Covid-19.   

We also consult closely with our colleagues at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM).  

It’s our charitable mission to support all parents to have the most positive experiences of pregnancy, birth and the early days, so we will: 

  • act promptly and transparently, informing you how and why your course will be delivered as early as practically possible.  
  • always make decisions that offer the best experiences available whilst protecting you, our parents, your babies and our NCT course leaders. 

Vikki is currently a student NCT doula.

Would you like Vikki to be your doula?

Email: v.appleton89@gmail.com or call 07833494563. 

About Vikki

Vikki lives in Hinckley with her daughter. She is happy to work in areas within 25 miles including Leicester, Loughborough, Nuneaton, Coventry and eastern Birmingham.  

Vikki aims to inspire confidence in a women’s natural ability to give birth. She can provide support regarding different labour positions along with massage and breathing techniques for labour.  

She feels her role as a doula is to support the mother and any birth partners in being prepared for birth. Through helping them establish what forms of relaxation work for them and creating a birth plan that is personalised to the experience they are looking for. She will work with you and your healthcare professionals to support you wherever you choose to birth your baby.  

Vikki feels most importantly that she will be there to support you emotionally throughout pregnancy, birth and in the early days of being a new parent. 

An important part of training for this role is that Vikki is required to support a woman or couple through birth with the support of the NCT doula tutors. Your baby needs to be due between the end of February and mid-April 2021 for you to be able to consider asking Vikki to be your birth doula. The fee for Vikki to support you has been appropriately set to recognise the fact that she is a student. 

 

Katherine Berzins

Qualifications

  • Vikki has completed the first year of her NCT Birth and Beyond Foundation Degree, where she studied Breastfeeding and Giving Birth. 

She is currently studying to become an Antenatal practitioner, Yoga for Pregnancy practitioner and Birth Doula and is due to complete this in June 2021. 

Practicalities

Vikki will provide support by:

  • Meeting with you a minimum of three times antenatally, to build a trusting connection with you and discuss your birth preferences. This can be in person or virtually. 
  • Attending appointments if required. 
  • Being available to you via text or email between arranged meetings up till 6 weeks after birth. 
  • Being on call 24/7 10 days prior to your due date and until your baby is born. 
  • Staying with you throughout your labour and birth. Until a time you feel settled and comfortable for her to leave. 
  • Meeting with you after the birth to share your birth story and offer any further information if needed. 
NCT Membership

NCT Membership

Become an NCT member and join a community of new parents, all experiencing pregnancy, birth and early parenthood together.

Find out more