I recently attended the Happy Parent, Happy Baby private antenatal course, and while there were some helpful parts, the overall experience didn’t fully meet my expectations — especially when comparing it to the free NHS antenatal classes.I’m based in Newport, and the closest available course was in Cardiff, which added travel time. The venue wasn’t great — there was no air conditioning (thats during the heat wave. They had a small desk fan for 13 couples plus the person delivering the course. The venue had big windows that we couldn’t fully open for health and safety reason I assume) and uncomfortable chairs, which really matters when you’re heavily pregnant and sitting for hours.There were 13 couples in the group, which felt too large. It made the sessions less interactive and harder to engage in discussions or ask questions. On top of that, our midwife had to cancel one of the face-to-face sessions, so the social event happened mid-course instead of at the end. That really disrupted the structure — especially the Q&A sessions, which were thrown off. We’d end up joining a Q&A on Thursday to ask questions about material that hadn’t been covered yet (which was scheduled for the following Monday), making it hard to follow along.To be fair, the baby first aid module was useful and wasn’t part of the NHS Solihull course — but you can do that separately through the NHS for free if needed.One big difference I noticed was that the NHS Solihull classes were run by an ex-midwife, and the facilitators had access to all the information about the local hospital. They were able to answer every question, from what to expect during labour to how things actually work at the hospital. In contrast, the midwife running the private classes was from Bridgend, so couldn’t offer the same local insight.If I could go back, I’d have chosen a smaller, local antenatal course based in Newport, ideally with fewer couples and a more comfortable venue. The structure and personalised feel of the NHS Solihull classes made a much bigger impact overall.
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Happy Parents. Happy Baby. is a modern antenatal classes designed for modern parents.
It combines expert teaching from a whole team of experts including a midwife, obstetric doctor, hypnobirthing instructor, paediatric doctor, feeding consultant and first aid instructor, with a social experience designed to help you connect and make friends with other parents to be.
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