Best Antenatal Course Potters Bar

Five ways a CubCare antenatal class is not like

an NCT class

CubCare Antenatal Classes postnatal reunion

CubCare Antenatal Classes postnatal reunion

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival!

You're looking for an antenatal class in Potters Bar?

I imagine you are expecting a baby and looking for an antenatal class or course, perhaps Bump and Baby Club, or an NCT course in Potters Bar or Hatfield? There are a host of options you could choose from, and people will only ever be able to recommend the one they've done - an antenatal course is usually something you only do one of. There's my CubCare Active Hypnobirthing Antenatal Course, NCT and Happy Parents Happy Baby to choose from locally. But what is the difference between them?

Are Antenatal courses worth it? There will be people saying there is no need to do antenatal classes at all. So what do you do?!

Firstly, antenatal education is so important and you need to do your homework. I have written a blog about this that you can check out here.

Trust me that the birth of your baby will have an impact on you for a long, long time and you deserve to be as prepared as you can be.

Secondly, it really pays to do your research rather than just opting for the first antenatal classes on Google, or go with the NCT because they have been around for the longest time.

You want to look for the absolute best education you can get. Not all antenatal classes are created equally.

In this blog we’ll discuss the differences and similarities between CubCare Antenatal Courses and NCT. These are the main antenatal classes run around the Potters Bar area in Hertfordshire.

Who are the main Antenatal class providers in Potters Bar?

NCT is the company that everyone has heard about. Because it has been around the longest is the one that most grandparents to be will recommend. NCT stands for National Childbirth Trust, they are a charity and they run private antenatal courses across the UK.

Often when parents-to-be attend private (i.e. not NHS) antenatal classes they are combined together under the heading NCT classes.

But they could have attended any numbers of private antenatal courses. CubCare Antenatal classes are one such private antenatal option.

But is NCT it any better than alternative providers? Most people choose one Antenatal Class provider, so it is difficult to say who is better! In this blog I'll discuss 5 ways in which NCT is similar to CubCare Antenatal, and 5 days in which CubCare Antenatal classes might be better...

CubCare Antenatal Class graduates

CubCare Pregnancy Yoga - to prepare your body

Are NCT classes worth it?

Speaking to most clients who attended NCT, they will say that they booked because people suggested attending an NCT course to make friends in the local area. They did not look for alternative providers because they did not know that NCT is a company, not a genre.

Once clients have attended one of our pregnancy or postnatal baby classes they will say that they wished they had researched more. They wish they had discovered CubCare during pregnancy.

We provide a friendly environment to make friends, but the classes themselves are top quality. Delivering important education to you at a time when you need it.

What is Happy Parents Happy Baby?

Happy Parents Happy Baby are new to Potters Bar, but have antenatal courses across many locations in the UK.

They bill themselves as a modern and sociable antenatal class, with a lot of paid time focused on socials.

Most Happy Parents Happy Baby teachers are practicing midwives, which can sometimes create a conflict of interest between NHS trusts and providing truly unbiased education to clients. It also isn't necessarily a better thing to have a midwife teaching your antenatal classes.

What is a CubCare Antenatal Class?

A CubCare class, course or workshop is an entirely independent company. In fact, we are a completely independent business and there is only one employee!

CubCare is the definition of a sole trader. All communication, emails, telephone calls, Whatsapp messages, classes, follow-up, meet ups, reunions will have Jilly behind them.

The wonderful thing about this is that you will be able to get a feel for me before attending class. My face will hopefully be familiar, making for less nerves when you walk in the room!

My qualifications make me a very well rounded teacher, and I can fully support you on your own journey without having to be mindful of head office.

I have close connections with the local NHS trusts at Lister and Barnet hospitals and can give you a truly local approach.

As a Daisy Foundation trained teacher I have gone through a year-long, 500-hour training pathway to enable us to deliver classes and workshops. With assessments and checks of our teaching standards along the way. This is equivalent to the qualification that NCT teachers undergo. Happy Parents Happy Baby teachers are generally all midwives.

I personally have undertaken additional training and enrol in all sorts of CPD (continuous professional development) courses and workshops each year to develop our knowledge even further to bring your more information within courses. I am always keeping to date with current guidelines.

I am a birth and baby geek, with a passion for helping you understand your rights. I have been teaching classes for 10 years too, so incredibly experienced and have supported hundreds of families.

What does CubCare teach?

There are three different options for antenatal education when it comes to a CubCare Antenatal class.

Pregnancy yoga is a weekly mum-to-be or birthing person only movement-based class designed to be done throughout pregnancy.

We combine elements of pregnancy yoga, hypnobirthing and antenatal education to provide a unique class. Classes focus on how to prepare your body for birth and how your body moves, adapts and changes ahead of, and during birth.

Our flagship Antenatal and Hypnobirthing course is designed to be done in conjunction with Pregnancy Yoga but can be done alone as well.

This is a ground-breaking week 12.5 hour antenatal course for mum-to-be or birthing person plus birth partner/s and is the most comprehensive course you will find.

If you are looking for the best way to prepare for labour, birth, the postnatal period and the first few months with baby.

Classes focus on how the process of labour works and how you can help move things along, and cope really well at the same time.

Time is spent getting familiar with techniques, and how you, your baby, your body, and birth partner can work together to make birth positive.

We discuss things like induction, water birth, caesarean deliveries, recovery, the stages of labour, 4th trimester, feeding, caring for baby and much more.

We cover hypnobirthing, active birth, biomechanics and advocating for yourself in a difficult maternity system.

If you have already have a baby, then our Refresher Antenatal Course will offer the special elements of our Antenatal Course, but in a condensed version. There is also a 1:1 coaching call to get to the heart of your individual situation.

This can be done in conjunction with Pregnancy Yoga but can be done alone as well. We’ll work with you and your birth team to prepare fully for birth and/or looking after yourself and baby afterwards.

Four ways CubCare is similar to NCT and Happy Parents Happy Baby in Potters Bar

Both CubCare and NCT run antenatal classes.

That is classes for pregnant people and their birth partners. The NCT’s flagship offering are their antenatal courses that typically run over 15-18 hours (that time includes lunch breaks and a 2hr postnatal reunion). CubCare’s flagship offering is our Active Hypnobirthing Antenatal course. This is most like the NCT course. Active Antenatal runs over 12.5 hours, but every single moment of that is education.

While there is more than likely a postnatal reunion and time for breaks within the course, these will come as additional time added free of charge.

Plus…you get some fabulous extras when signing up to a CubCare Antenatal Course. You just will not find these extras anywhere else.

All teachers have been trained to the highest standards.

I have undertaken additional training and enrol in all sorts of CPD (continuous professional development) courses and workshops each year to develop our knowledge even further to bring your more information within courses. I am always keeping to date with current guidelines.

I am a birth and baby geek, with a passion for helping you understand your rights. I have been teaching classes for 10 years too, so incredibly experienced and have supported hundreds of families.

To quote the NCT website, we’re innovators, not imitators.

The Daisy Foundation antenatal and baby classes, from which the CubCare programme has been developed, were designed using expertise from clinical hypnotherapists, midwives, health visitors and teachers. The Daisy Foundation owner Sian Gilmartin even won maternity innovator of the year in 2018 – nobody can say we are imitators!

I have taken this innovation further still and curated a series of classes and workshops that are unique, but delivery everything you need to know and more.

I know that our classes and workshops deliver the best education, at the right time. I have personally delivered to hundreds of parents over the years.

Both run “small” groups.

While the NCT and Bump and Baby Club claim to run in small groups, CubCare generally limits to birth teams or 12 pregnant women and people for our classes.

From our experience, limiting to 12 people per class (12 individuals or 6 birth teams) means a truly individual experience. All questions can be answered and there is time for everybody to explore their own views on every subject.

Smaller groups do not mean less friendships either, in fact it means the opposite. Because we extend our classes well beyond pregnancy, into a huge range of baby classes. Those who have joined us in pregnancy will be joined by others who have found a CubCare class after their babies have been born. And so naturally your community extends.

Five ways CubCare is different from NCT and Happy Parents Happy Baby in Potters Bar

All admin contact, classes, workshops, meet ups and support is given directly by Jilly, the owner of CubCare.

I give my time and energy to supporting our community 100%, and that means hosting free meet up myself too. You will be greeted and looked after by me in every class or meet-up you attend. That is amazing if I am your type of person, perhaps not if I rub you up the wrong way! (I try my best to not do that!)

I am the self-employed owner of CubCare.

That means I am a very small player, with little to no marketing budget. I work so hard to get word of mouth recommendations.

It also means that I am not necessarily a household name where parents and even grandparents know the name. It does not mean I am not delivering a first-class experience. I work harder on my classes and offerings to ensure quality over brand name.

I can offer truly individual support and a standard class format.

I understand the challenges and difficulties within the maternity system right now, and I can adapt my support to reflect that.
Plus, I know that there are vital topics that need to be covered that you might not have any idea about. I do not leave the course planning up to you to choose the content.

I offer a range of Pregnancy classes. I firmly believe that you need to prepare you body and mind for any birth situation - and modern day living means that often we haven't prepared either properly.

My pregnancy yoga classes infuse active birth and body biomechanics (I know about the human body) to make sure you are fully prepared.

I don't stop my support once baby is born.

You can start our classes from 14 weeks pregnant and continue until your baby starts school. There are even workshops and events suitable past this age too.

Our CubCare Baby classes are perhaps even more sociable than the pregnancy classes, because those connections are even more important when you have a new baby.

Some special client words about CubCare Antenatal Classes

“This labour was SO much better than the first. Your CubCare refresher antenatal course helped so much for the labour, it was much calmer than the first and much more controlled. The breathing techniques were so helpful – I breathed her out!”

“I felt completely in control for the entire 26 hour labour – I just felt so calm, the breaths were incredible and the consultant commented on how she couldn’t believe I’d refused an epidural. I felt confident enough to question and on occasion challenge recommendations of the midwives so that the birth ended up being as natural as possible! A very positive experience to look back on. Thank you!!”

"Jilly has a talent for creating a really welcoming, friendly and safe space which is great for mums and babies alike. The CubCare Antenatal classes are informative and fun, yet relaxed, and centrered around the babies, so it’s fine if one is crying, another is asleep and one is having a nappy change!"

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Labour and Birth

Watch our introduction to antenatal education webinar, our labour and birth overview - to start your antenatal education journey. Understanding the process, and what you can do to influence it.

Pregnancy Planner

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Birth Partner Guide

Your ultimate guide to being the best birth partner during pregnancy, birth and recovery. Learn what you need to do, and what you need to learn to be the best birth partner possible.