Antenatal Classes
Finding out what is likely to happen during pregnancy and birth and in the weeks following delivery can boost your confidence and help you make the right decisions for you and your partner. Our branch offers antenatal classes, run by qualified teachers and students who have reached the necessary level in their training, for all expectant parents. Classes, held in the last 3 months of your pregnancy, are informal and friendly and offer plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Topics covered include:
- How to know labour has started
- What happens at each stage of labour
- Pain relief options and how to cope with contractions including breathing, relaxation and massage
- How being mobile and adopting upright position can help with your labour
- The main medical interventions in labour, when you might need them and what is involved (including induction, caesarean births, forceps, ventouse and episiotomy)
- What your birth partner can do to help
- Home births
- The role of the midwife
- Birth plans and informed choice
- What to expect with a new baby
- Feeding and caring for your newborn baby
- How you and your partner might feel after the birth
- Evening classes over 6, 7 or 8 weeks
- Weekend labour days
- Mixed week-end and evening courses
