When should you start antenatal classes?

There’s no doubt about it; antenatal classes are a great way to prepare for the birth of your baby and the early postnatal period. But are you wondering when in your pregnancy journey is the best time to do them? Perhaps you’re still quite early on in your pregnancy but keen to get going and meet some other expectant parents? Or perhaps you’ve left it until the last minute and suddenly realised you could have a better understanding about how to advocate for yourself during your birth. Well, there’s no right or wrong time but we would suggest doing them between 20 and 35 weeks pregnant to get the most out of the classes. The reasons for this are:

• You’ll be with other expectant parents who are due around the same time which means you’re all going through key milestones and challenges together.

• There’s a lot of information to take in, so it’s best to give yourself enough time to digest the information and time to explore further resources such as podcasts and books before the baby arrives.

• The classes might raise questions you want to discuss with your midwife or doula.

• By around 20 weeks, you’ll have had your key scans and many people are past the exhaustion and nausea of the first trimester, so you're more likely to actually enjoy and retain the information rather than just survive the session. 

If you're further along and would like to do antenatal classes but don’t have time before your due date, drop us an email to discuss how we can support you and welcome you into the Parent Club community.