The Brighton Dad blog

The NCT antenatal classes my wife and I are taking have been a massive eye-opener. At £139 per couple for 16 hours' worth of quality advice, it is a worthwhile expense if you can afford it. For me, it is proving an invaluable resource in my quest to find out as much as possible about the impending birth as well as a good place to meet other first-time parents.

All the other men seem to be intelligent, enthusiastic, warm, caring and keen to learn (indeed, I look forward to catching up with them as the weeks roll by and bumps produce babies). There is refreshingly little laddish banter and/or tiresome alpha male-posturing; instead there has been lots of honest chat and a general atmosphere of quiet enthusiasm mixed with a little trepidation.

The teacher has a good way of getting everyone involved and informing the group without scaring us or failing to provide us with enough information.

You're left with the idea that, while this experience will be unique, you are certainly not alone. And that there are no silly questions, that no fear is petty or irrelevant and that Dads are a huge part of the experience too.

Indeed, I've been impressed with how much the teacher has involved the men in our sessions and also how much emphasis she has placed on our role during labour.

The classes we have chosen take place in the barn under the windmill in Hove, which is a warm, interesting venue – it has a kitchen for tea and coffee so everyone is happy.

One slight drawback, of course, is that the classes require a time commitment. If, like me, you commute a fair distance to work (roughly two hours each way by the time you have walked to/from work and the train stations) it can be quite tiring leaping off a train and straight into two hours' worth of antenatal classes – twice a week! But, for me, this is a sacrifice worth making. Many others will work nearby and have plenty of time to digest a decent meal ahead of the class.

In short, I recommend NCT classes if you can afford them. I feel like I am learning invaluable skills that will help to make labour a smoother process for my wife. For me, if I can help make it even a teensy bit better for her through what I've learnt, it'll be money well spent.