Daytime Antenatal Classes in Ramsey – Why We've Made the Switch
If you're looking for antenatal classes in Ramsey, Warboys, Chatteris, Huntingdon or Peterborough, you might have noticed that our Connected Parents antenatal course is a little different. Rather than squeezing everything into an evening after work, we now run our five-week course during the daytime.
And there's a very good reason for that!
When we first started running our antenatal classes in Ramsey, we held them in the evenings. It seemed like the obvious choice. Most people work during the day, so surely evenings would make it easier for everyone to attend?
But after running our courses, we started to question whether evenings really were the best option.
The biggest thing we noticed was just how tired everyone was! Parents would arrive after a full day at work, often having rushed home, grabbed something to eat (if they were lucky) and then headed straight back out again for three hours of antenatal education.
And who could blame them for being exhausted? Pregnancy is tiring enough without adding another three hours of concentrating to the end of a busy day.
We also found that, despite choosing evenings specifically to make things easier for partners, work commitments still sometimes prevented them from attending.
It got us thinking about whether we were actually doing families any favours by trying to fit something so important into the very end of their day.
So we've decided to do things differently.
Why we've chosen daytime antenatal classes
There's a huge difference between arriving at a class after a full day at work and arriving in the morning when you've still got some energy!
Our antenatal course isn't three hours of sitting and listening to us talk. There's lots of discussion, practical activities, demonstrations and opportunities to ask questions. We want people to get involved, have a laugh, explore their options and really enjoy themselves.
We cover a lot over the five weeks, from birth choices and hypnobirthing to breastfeeding, newborn behaviour and life after birth. These are things worth taking the time to properly understand, rather than trying to absorb everything when you're already thinking about going home to bed.
And actually, we think preparing for your baby's arrival should be something you look forward to, not another exhausting commitment to squeeze into your week.
Can you take time off work to attend antenatal classes?
This is something we think far more expectant parents should know about.
Did you know that pregnant employees have a legal right to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care? And that antenatal care can include antenatal and parenting classes, (sometimes the wording is ‘provided they're recommended by your midwife or doctor’)?
It's surprising how many people assume they would need to use annual leave to attend a course like ours.
Of course, there are some conditions around this entitlement, but it's absolutely worth speaking to your midwife and employer about it.
You can read more about your rights on the GOV.UK website.
For partners, the legal entitlement is different. Eligible partners have a right to unpaid time off for up to two qualifying antenatal appointments, rather than an automatic right to attend an entire course.
However, you might be pleasantly surprised by what's possible when you ask. Some employers offer paid time off for antenatal education as part of their family-friendly policies, while others are happy for employees to make the hours up later or arrange some flexibility in their working day.
And because our daytime antenatal classes start first thing in the morning, it may only mean taking half a day off work, or even less, depending on your hours and travel arrangements.
It's just five mornings spread over five weeks, and we really do think it's worth asking the question.
Why we encourage partners to attend antenatal classes too
One thing we're particularly passionate about at Connected Parents is making sure partners feel just as involved in preparing for their baby's arrival.
Pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal weeks are a huge experience for both parents, and we don't want partners to feel like they're simply accompanying the pregnant person to a class.
There's so much for them to learn and explore too, from practical ways to support someone through labour to understanding breastfeeding, recognising normal newborn behaviour and finding their feet as a new family.
We spend a lot of time looking at how couples can work together, communicate and feel confident making decisions.
It's one of the reasons we really hope partners will be able to arrange the time to attend. We know it won't be possible for everyone, but we'd encourage you to have that conversation with your employer before ruling it out.
More than just birth preparation and hypnobirthing
Something else we feel strongly about is that antenatal education should prepare you for the whole experience of becoming a parent, not just the birth itself.
Our five-week antenatal course combines birth preparation, hypnobirthing techniques, breastfeeding education and practical preparation for life with a newborn.
Between us, we bring experience in birth and postnatal doula support, hypnobirthing, antenatal education and specialist breastfeeding support.
I'm Sarah, a birth and postnatal doula and antenatal educator, and my sister Jo is a breastfeeding counsellor and infant feeding support worker.
We've created our course around the things we know parents really want and need to understand, including all those questions that sometimes don't get answered during routine appointments.
We keep our groups small, so there's plenty of time to ask questions and have proper conversations. We don't rush through subjects just to tick them off a list, and we're not interested in telling you there's one right way to give birth, feed your baby or raise your family.
We want you to understand your options, know where to find reliable information and feel confident making decisions that are right for you.
Having that time together during the day, when everyone is hopefully feeling a little fresher, gives us a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that.
Making friends at antenatal classes in Ramsey
This is probably one of our favourite things about running Connected Parents.
Yes, we want you to leave feeling knowledgeable and prepared, but we also want you to leave knowing other local families who are about to have babies at roughly the same time as you.
Those connections can be incredibly valuable once your baby arrives.
Having someone to message in the middle of a difficult night, meet for a coffee or simply chat to about the strange and wonderful realities of having a newborn can make such a difference.
We invite everyone who attends our courses to join our WhatsApp community, and we also run a weekly New Parent Group in Ramsey where families can continue meeting and supporting one another after their babies arrive.
We're not interested in waving goodbye after week five and leaving you to figure everything out on your own. We really want Connected Parents to feel like the beginning of something, rather than just a course you've completed.
Looking for antenatal classes near Ramsey?
Our Connected Parents antenatal course takes place in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, making it a convenient option for expectant parents living in Ramsey St Mary’s, Ramsey Fortfoot, Ramsey Mereside, Ramsey Heights, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Whittlesey, Warboys, Chatteris and the surrounding villages.
We're a small, local community interest company, run by two sisters who genuinely love what we do. We've put a huge amount of thought, experience and care into creating a course that gives families the information, confidence and support they deserve.
We also offer flexible pricing and funded places when available, because we believe good antenatal education should be accessible to everyone.
If you've been considering joining us but weren't sure about the daytime sessions, please do have a chat with your employer and see what's possible.
We'd absolutely love to spend those five mornings with you.
Sarah & Jo
x
Connected Parents CIC
