Top Antenatal Classes in Molesey and Thames Ditton | Ratings and Reviews
After the initial excitement of finding out you’re pregnant (congratulations!) you’re probably starting to think about all of the preparations you need to make before your baby arrives. If you’re anything like me you’ve probably turned to Google and are doing lots of research – the best pram, the best crib, and how many teeny tiny sleepsuits should you buy?
You might also start to think about the practicalities of having a baby – from the birth itself to taking care of your tiny new baby once they’re born.
I remember these feelings well, and taking an antenatal course before my first baby and a shorter hypnobirthing class before my second really helped my husband and I to understand what the birth and the early days with a new baby would be like, and to make informed choices about our preferences along the way.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, there really only seemed to be one choice when it came to antenatal classes. But now there are a huge number of different providers offering antenatal and parentcraft classes.
So how do you know which antenatal course is best for you?
In this article I’ll compare the top antenatal classes in Molesey and Thames Ditton, so that you can decide which one is the right fit for you.
The classes we’ll compare are:
- NCT
- Birth-ed
- Kingston Hospital Maternity
Related article: Top Baby Shops & Boutiques in South West London
How I’ve Chosen Which Antenatal Classes To Review
The aim of this article is to provide you with unbiased information about the antenatal classes available in Molesey and Thames Ditton, so that you can decide which is the best one for you. Before we dive in, it may be helpful to explain my process to you.
The ‘top three’ classes that I’ve reviewed are the classes that rank highest on a Google search for ‘antenatal classes Molesey and Thames Ditton.’ This doesn’t include paid-for Google Ads.
It’s worth noting that only one provider actually runs their classes in Molesey or Thames Ditton. However, the other two do run classes close by in Kingston and Cobham, so I’ve included these to give you a complete picture of your options.
A fourth result did come up in my search – Nadia Rafaat’s Yoga and Mindfulness for Pregnancy and Birth Course. But the courses listed on the website are held in Clapham Junction so I’ve chosen not to include it in the review.
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The Rules – How This Review Works
I’m not affiliated with any of the courses in any way, and have no interest in promoting one over the other. The aim is simply to provide a side by side comparison of each class.
To keep things consistent I’ll be reviewing each provider’s group classes, not private classes or online courses. I’ll review each course based on the following six factors:
- Where the classes take place
- When the classes run
- What the course covers
- Who teaches each course, and their qualifications
- Price
- Google review ratings
What Happens In An Antenatal Class?
Before we dive in, it may be helpful to cover some basic information about antenatal classes.
The classes may cover:
- How to look after yourself during pregnancy
- Your options for giving birth, and help to decide on your birth preferences
- How to care for and feed your new baby
Some courses also include information on hypnobirthing or breastfeeding. After reading about the different classes you may find that the content of one course appeals to you over another.
Let’s dive in and look at what the three different courses offer.
NCT
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is a charity whose mission is to support parents through the first 1,000 days, to have the best possible experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. In Molesey and Thames Ditton they run their signature antenatal course, and a refresher antenatal course for those who have already had a baby. In this review I’ll focus on the signature antenatal course.
Here are the key facts about it:
- The antenatal classes are held at either Colets Health and Fitness Club or at Imber Court.
- The courses vary in length from 16.5-18.5 hours. Some run across 7 weekday evenings, others across 2 weekend days plus 2 weekday evenings. Each course also includes a 2 hour postnatal reunion once everyone in your group has had their baby.
- The signature antenatal course covers: pregnancy, birth choices and options available, body awareness, relaxation, breathing and massage, what happens in labour, the role of your partner and how your baby is born, pain relief – natural and medical methods, more complex pregnancies and medical procedures, including caesarean birth, and early parenting, feeding your baby and lifestyle changes.
- Each course is facilitated by NCT Antenatal Practitioners who have completed a university-accredited course.
- Unfortunately there are no prices available on the NCT website. The website explains that the course price varies depending on where you attend the course, the length of the course and the type of the course. NCT also offer reduced prices to those with a low income or who receive certain benefits. You can read more about NCT course pricing here: https://www.nct.org.uk/courses-workshops/course-details-and-prices/course-prices
- At the time of writing NCT has a 3.7 star rating from 3 Google reviews
Visit the NCT Molesey and Thames Ditton branch website here
Birth-ed
Birth-ed runs group, private, online and refresher hypnobirthing and antenatal classes. For the purposes of this article we’ll focus on the group course.
Here are the key facts about the Birth-ed group course:
- Birth-ed is based in Thames Ditton, but the group courses are held across Surrey and South West London. The two locations closest to Molesey and Thames Ditton are The Medicine Garden in Cobham, and The Training Works in St Margarets.
- At the time of writing the courses listed on the website all run across two Saturdays from 10am-4pm. The course information refers to both evening and weekend courses however.
- The course is a hypnobirthing course that covers full antenatal preparation, from the physiology and process of birth, to understanding research and making informed choices. There’s also an optional breastfeeding and postnatal preparation class that you can add on to your course.
- The courses are taught by Megan Rossiter who is the founder of Birth-ed, and a hypnobirthing and antenatal teacher and former student midwife.
- The group course costs £295 and the optional breastfeeding and postnatal add on is £65 if you book it with the group course.
- Birth-ed has a Google rating of 4.8 from 4 reviews.
Visit the Birth-ed website here
Kingston Hospital Maternity
Kingston Maternity runs a variety of parenting and wellbeing courses – from free classes run locally with a midwife, to classes for younger first time parents, dad to be classes, and active birth workshops. For the purposes of this article I’ll focus on the Birth and Beyond Course.
Here are the key facts about the Birth and Beyond antenatal course at Kingston Maternity:
- The classes are held in the Maternity Wellbeing Room at Kingston Hospital.
- The course consists of three classes, all held on Wednesday evenings.
- The first two sessions cover labour and birth, and include yoga and breathing techniques. The third session is dedicated to parenting and covers bonding, brain development and attachment theory.
- The course is taught by a team of experienced midwives at the trust. They have all had special training to allow them to teach the parenting session.
- The cost is £150 per birthing couple.
- The classes aren’t reviewed on Google, but Kingston Maternity Unit has a Google rating of 4.3 from 16 reviews.
Visit The Kingston Hospital Maternity Website Here
Over To You
There are so many different options when it comes to birth and caring for your baby, and we’ll all have different preferences for the way we approach this huge milestone in our family life. As I researched this article it was great to see that each of these classes offers something a little different, giving you the option to choose the one that fits you best.
I hope that these reviews help you to decide which class is right for you as you prepare for the arrival of your new baby. I’d love to hear which one you choose. Let me know in the comments below, or send me a message here. I’d love to hear from you.
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