NCT classes cover a broad range of topics and can give a good overview of the things you’re going to face as a new parent – whether that’s the stages of labour, your options for feeding your baby or how to change a nappy.
If you are wanting to prepare for birth and parenthood in more detail, here are some brilliant further options!
In this article I’m going to debunk 5 of the most commonly shared pieces of unhelpful advice about pregnancy & birth. Because I’m certain that you’ve heard almost one of these…and they stand to be really unhelpful for you. In pregnancy, birth and beyond.
You've seen it, right? (If you haven't, this picture tells you a lot of what you need to know!) Of course Friends is a comedy, not a documentary, but this episode is not that different in its content and feel to most of what we see on the TV when it comes to birth.
And that's the trouble - because when we see this type of birth a lot, we think its pretty much how it is. That's what birth looks like, right?
Wrong! So much of this episode is totally unrealistic, and totally unhelpful for birth in real life! Let's look at some of the issues...
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of "hypnobirthing"?
Breathing?! (The cliched idea of a circle of pregnant couples all doing deep breathing together in some sort of weird dress rehearsal!)
A few affirmations? (That episode from Friends where Chandler is trying to give up smoking.... "You are a calm, confident woman...!"
Am I going to have you doing breathing techniques and repeating affirmations for 10 hours? Obviously not! That would be ridiculous and boring! So what is covered on my hypnobirthing & antenatal course?