NHS vs NCT and other private antenatal classes

Antenatal classes can be a lifesaver when navigating the often-confusing world of pregnancy, birth and caring for a new baby. They're also a way for parents-to-be to meet others preparing for new parenthood. 

Whether it's private or NHS, book from 12 weeks pregnant if you can, to get the class you really want – even though your classes won't begin until you're around 30-32 weeks pregnant (or earlier if you're expecting twins or more).

Keep scrolling to find out what to expect from antenatal classes, including how much you might need to pay, who'll be hosting them, how you go about signing up and whether they're worth shelling out money for.

Compare antenatal classes: NHS, NCT, Bump and Baby Club, and Happy Parents Happy Baby

^{Table notes: Prices and class information are correct as of November 2025.} 

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NHS antenatal classes

What do NHS antenatal classes cover?

The number of different antenatal classes offered to you will depend on what's available in your area, but they're intended to be 'informative and fun', with topics including:

• Preparing for labour and birth, including how to cope with it and how to help yourself.
• Relaxation techniques and healthy lifestyle advice, such as exercise and healthy eating.
• Information about pain relief and different kinds of births, including interventions in labour such as forceps or vacuum delivery.
• How to care for your baby, such as planning and managing their feeding.
• Advice on emotional health, including emotions and feelings during pregnancy, birth and after.
• An opportunity to see the maternity facilities. As well as a tour of the unit, you might also get to meet some of the people who'll be looking after you during labour and birth.

The NHS says antenatal classes are also a good way to make friends with others expecting babies around the same time as you.

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NCT antenatal classes

What do NCT antenatal classes cover?

NCT is a registered charity for pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, and its antenatal classes cover various aspects including: 

• Planning for a positive birth experience. This includes running through labour and birth options, pain management and what happens after the birth.
• Getting to know and caring for your baby. For example, understanding your baby's cues and what your baby's nappy tells you.
• Feeding your baby. Understanding types of feeding including breastfeeding, night feeds and where to get support.
• Wellbeing before and after birth, such as adjusting to family life and coping with lack of sleep.
• Your family, relationships and finding support. For example, becoming a parent, accessing help and support, and negotiating advice from peers, family and friends.
• Access before, during and after your course has finished to NCT Parent Hub, a digital platform hosting information to complement learning and free extras such as hypnobirthing and newborn first aid. 

NCT courses are led by practitioners independent from the NHS and trained at university level on pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. Maximum group size is up to 18 people (nine couples) and attendees are encouraged to ask questions, share experiences and build connections with other local parents. 

NCT also provides many low-cost or free-to-access services including an infant feeding support line, Baby Café drop-ins led by an NCT breastfeeding counsellor, plus local activities and events.  

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Bump and Baby Club antenatal classes

What do Bump and Baby Club antenatal classes cover?

• Labour, birth and baby care, including when to call the midwife or go to the hospital, types of birth including C-section and home birth, the role of a birth partner and how to deal with stitches. 
• Breastfeeding and bottle feeding, such as establishing a good milk supply, recognising your baby's feeding cues and advice on bottle and formula feeding.
• Baby first-aid with important information about what to do if your baby is unconscious, not breathing, is choking or has a febrile convulsion, incorporating hands-on practice with resuscitation mannequins.
• Hypnobirthing in the form of a pre-recorded hypnobirthing course (included in the price and the only element of the course that isn't in person).
• Continued support with experts available to answer your questions for the first few months after the birth.

Bump and Baby Club offers 'sociable antenatal classes' held in relaxed venues including private clubs, pubs and hotels, with antenatal teachers who tend to be practising midwives. 

In your class, there'll be a maximum of 10 pairs of expectant couples whose due dates are roughly within four weeks of each other and who you'll be put in contact with in advance of your first class so you can start connecting. 

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Happy Parents Happy Baby

What do Happy Parents Happy Baby classes cover?

• Preparing for birth, including info on vaginal and caesarean births, writing your birth preferences, packing your hospital bag and recognising the signs of labour. 
• Hypnobirthing, with practical tips on entering birth with a positive mindset, breathing and relaxation techniques and creating your ideal birth environment. 
• Practical baby care. Helping you to practise skills needed to care for your new baby, including settling them, safe sleep advice, plus tips on feeding, washing and changing nappies.
• Baby first aid and self-care. Learning skills to cope with emergencies such as choking, burns, febrile seizure and meningitis, as well as advice on recovery from birth and adapting to new parenting.

Founded by doctors Francesca and Will Dooley, the in-person course consists of 18 hours of teaching. Within each weekly two-hour session a specialist such as an obstetrician, paediatrician or physiotherapist will attend to share their expertise with the group. 

You also get four hours of dedicated social time on top of teaching sessions so you can forge those all-important relationships with other parents-to-be.

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Other private antenatal classes

Depending on where you live, there may be many different private antenatal classes to choose from, with different approaches to birth and parenthood.

• Antenatal classes for all parents In addition to NCT, Bump and Baby Club and Happy Parents Happy Baby, there may be other options local to you, so check with your midwife or visit Happity, a platform for finding bump, baby and toddler classes.
• Partners’ antenatal classes In some areas there are classes specifically for partners/birth partners. Some expectant parents find these very useful as they can raise questions and concerns – and make friends – with other people in the same position as them.
• Birth techniques Some private classes focus more on specific techniques, such as hypnobirthing, to help you cope with labour.
• Pregnancy exercise While you can exercise mostly as normal when you’re pregnant, many expectant parents enjoy classes that have been designed specifically with pregnant bodies in mind, such as pregnancy yoga, Pilates and water aerobics.

Online antenatal classes

As well as offering in-person classes, companies including the NCT and Happy Parents Happy Baby have online courses, too. 

Other providers focus solely on their online offering including NowBaby, which has provided screens in antenatal clinics for more than 20 years and now runs paid-for, live-streamed antenatal courses with NHS midwives for up to 15 other mums. 

This format could be ideal if you live somewhere remote, don't have time to go in person (for example, if you travel for work) or would rather just attend from the comfort of your own home.

They also tend to be cheaper than in-person courses (NowBaby's course is £99) but still give you the chance to get to know other parents-to-be at the same stage of pregnancy as you.

Are private antenatal classes worth the money?

Independent research by Which? suggests that parents-to-be think that paying for private antenatal classes is worth it.

We surveyed 2,004 parents in February 2022 with a child under five years and 20% of them had paid for their antenatal classes.

Almost all of them (91%) found them useful, while only 8% said they weren't useful.

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