Antenatal Class Timing - Opinions Please!
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Topic: Antenatal Class Timing - Opinions Please!
Posted By: Zebra7
Subject: Antenatal Class Timing - Opinions Please!
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 11:26am
Hi Everyone 
Seeing as i'm hopeless at making decisions  i'm after some advice/opinions on timings for antenatal classes.
I'm due on 20 August and have the choice of two classes - May/June or July/August. Do I go for the earlier class and finish a couple of months before i'm due or the later class which finishes a couple of days before i'm due??? I've been told one of the most important aspects of the classes is the social networking with other mums due around the same time ... Help please  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: sparkle
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 11:42am
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I'd go the July/August ones. That's what I did and worked out fine. I think I had Cooper a week and a half after we'd finished.
Where are you doing them? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: mum2emj
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 11:43am
| i'd do the july/august ones just cause its closer to due date.. the info will still be all fresh |
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 12:14pm
Your due on my DH's birthday 
I'd also go for the July/Aug one. I was due in April with my daughter and did the AN classes in feb/march. The last class was 9 days before she was born. The info was still fresh and majority of mums had their babies shortly after mine. The 2nd oldest baby in our group is 21 hours younger than Michaela and it's so nice to have someone going through the exact same stages at the same time. -------------  
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Posted By: Zebra7
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 12:21pm
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Thanks for the advice ladies
I'm doing one of the Parents Centre courses in Wellington sparkle. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: J&Ls mum
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 2:23pm
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I'm due beginning of June and our antenatal classes don't start until 21st April and don't finish until the 26th may so just over a week before our due date.
Apparantly all the important stuff is in the first couple of weeks so i would go with the July/August classes if i was you. ------------- J - born 26th April 2008 and L - born 3rd Sept 2010 http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: staceym
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 2:43pm
| Hi I am due a few days before you and like you I had the choice of may/june or july/august but the last class was my due date so between myself and the lady who organises them we decided the august one was too close so opted for may/june sorry to be different to everybody else. |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 4:28pm
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I think you should do the July August ones. I was due 2 weeks after my ones finished but because she came early I missed the last class. Didn't make a heap of difference there but I find it's great that I have so many mums with babies just a few weeks younger than Rowan.
I think long-term you'll get more out of a coffee group where your babies are closer in age. Also you probably will get more out of the baby and you classes if your bubba is younger. -------------  
 
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Posted By: katie1
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 4:31pm
| I agree with the others. I did mine through Wellington Parents centre and it was awesome. I made some really great friends and had such a supportive group. You'll love it! |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 4:47pm
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i went to one early due to Christmas being in the middle and we dont really have a coffee group though we are meeting in aug:( and i hear parent centre have much better networking and stuff..i feel kinda ripped off about ours...but anyway!!! i liked the timing of going early as i wasnt massive and uncomfy and so for that reason i'd go early..but for the social thing i would go later.. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 5:31pm
I did the july/ aug parents centre ones here and we had a couple of ones that didnt make it to the end (our instructor made a point of talking fast ) but we have now got an AMAZING antenatal coffee group
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 6:29pm
| Social networking huh.. They're all a bunch of snobs at mine, had a crap time last night. I wanted to ask heaps of questions and I could hear the sighs etc every time I did. (and they were all valid questions too!) not really sure if I wanna go back, not like I'll be having a natural birth anyway, and all we're doing is talking about labour etc.. Id have more luck reading books etc I think. |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 20 March 2008 at 7:29pm
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Dont be put off them zebra. Sure you dont really learn much and they did scare the living daylights out of us regarding pain relief (which is NO WHERE NEAR AS BAD as they make out and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ) but I think they are good for a) the boys...who never read anything and dont listen to us and b) the support from the girls afterwards.
As I said, our antenatal coffee group is still going strong. We all meet every 2 weeks and in between time bounce emails around like you wouldnt believe. Noone snobby amongst us but amazingly we all seem to have heaps in common. 
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 8:46am
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missangel they dont always end up great(though most do) ....though parent centre ones are great.. but theres always plunket groups..or groups off here:) ! and they didnt scare us bout pain relief..and i also loved it:) and my DH got sooo much out of it i was really surprised!:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 9:21am
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lol you inspired me to email my AN group and turns out they all want to meet jut noone had arranged it..lol so I'm doing that ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: kabe
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 9:50am
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We did a parents centre course and have a great coffee group as a result. The men also meet weekly at the pub! I was in the same situation re. doing an earlier or later course. I'd recommend the later course, as I'd find it frustrating being the last to have my baby! ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 10:38pm
| I found that most people at our AN class were due at least 3-4 weeks after it finished, so I would consider doing the earlier one. We have a good group of about 7-8 ladies and bubs (and sometimes even dads like yesterday - we had 2 dads as well, was so cool) out of 13 that still meet every 2 weeks. I hosted it at my place yesterday and just had so much fun talking to people that were going through exactly the same thing at the same time. It's awesome. As for the AN classes, I didn't find them that great but were worthwhile just so I could get involved with the other ladies and babies. |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 22 March 2008 at 6:02am
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emz you are in chch?..did you do yours at CWH? ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 22 March 2008 at 8:08pm
| Yep Kawwww, did it at CWH. Found it OK, but I was the youngest one there (which I thought would be an issue... turns out I must be old for my age cos I think I fit in well! Hehe not that the other ladies are that much older, but at least 3-4 years for the next youngest ones) |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 22 March 2008 at 8:44pm
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so its just ours that doesnt meet up..though i have organised one..they have a group meeting 30th april but nothing before that till i organised it..the leader was away the last day so we didnt get everyones details ..just some..which is slack..it should have been organised before :( I feel ripped off...lol never mind. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |