Posts Tagged ‘antenatal classes’
Reflection: New course
Posted on: 10/07/2011
I write as I am already halfway through my third and last course prior to submitting my entire diploma.
I have 4 1/2 couples (the remaining half is an ex-pat in the Middle East, and I am sincerely hoping we will have the pleasure of his company next time). All of them seem to be lovely, normal, and game to give everything a try. This is great news for me and for teaching them. They are like sponges, soaking up everything we cover. It has been very rewarding for me.
I wonder, though, is this luck or good teaching? I did do a better job at explaining what’s going on during introductions, as well as explaining how one of the NCT’s prime objectives is informed decision-making and a smooth journey into parenthood. Maybe they took that on board exactly how I hoped they would.
I also feel much happier with the activities I am doing. They are neat and tidy, I feel they work well, and I am better organised than I was last time round (something the assessor mentioned in my last course). Better still, I’m mixing up antenatal and postnatal activities, since it helps to keep a good balance of what’s important. After all, labour is one event, and parenting lasts a lifetime. Mixing up the activities shows that there is a good balance of content throughout the course. I’ve heard people complain about not doing enough postnatal stuff if you mix it in, but I’ve been careful to acknowledge what we’ve covered from the original agenda setting exercise at the beginning of the course, and show the items on the list being crossed off from session to session. It also stops stuff from getting too samey.
Another thing that went down brilliantly was having a decent shared lunch in the middle of the session. I allocated an hour for lunch, and everybody helped out bringing stuff and setting up. We had the branch volunteers come and talk to us at the same time, and everyone was getting on like a house on fire – I was even praised for it on my mid-course evaluation.
It was also really great to see the men getting on so well. After one coffee break, I had to drag them back inside, they were getting so involved in their conversation. Wonderful.
image courtesy of NCT.org.uk
I heard from other teachers that an intensive format (the bulk of this course is being taught over two 6-hour Saturdays) can be difficult for bonding, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem here. Whether it’s down to luck or judgement I’m not sure, but I’m certainly glad things are going so well.
We’ve ranged from easy topics (straightforward labour, practical babycare, safe sleeping) to more challenging ones, and whilst it was clear that subjects such as interventions and caesarean were quite a lot to take in, they still listened, asked questions and kept an open mind right the way through – though they were relieved to go onto some lighter stuff straight after!
I had one negative comment on my evaluation forms, which was that at one point I seemed a little disorganised (my epidural kit had gone missing – I found it shortly afterwards). And no doubt I can be better organised. But, for now, I know that I’m a lot more organised than last time and the time before, and so I’m happy to keep trying to improve for now. Who knows? Maybe my next session will be perfectly organised!
All in all, though, I’m delighted with the way this course is going. I’m really enjoying it, and I also feel like I am making a difference to these people. It’s exhausting teaching for six hours straight, but I do like the format in spite of that.
I hope I am still this positive after next weeks class. The ex-pat is due to return to the UK this week, although it’s unclear whether he will be able to make time for the course… if he does come, it may upset the balance, I’m just not sure yet! But I’m not going to worry about that just yet. It will be what it is, and that will be fine.
Ego blog: Me-time approaching
Posted on: 16/06/2011
I write this on the eve of a work-based trip to Manchester. A colleague is doing the driving; all I have to do is take in the sights – mostly of traffic jams on the M6 – and I get around 40 hours away from small people and loved one.
It’s at times like this that I have to remember who I am without all that other baggage. If I don’t identify myself as a mum, or as a wife, what I have left is music (not what the trip is about) and my training (entirely what the trip is about). I am going to spend two whole days behaving like an adult, or at least, behaving as if I were the most important person that I have to deal with on a regular basis.
Image courtesy of the NCT
If I have music and antenatal teaching to outwardly define me when I’m out on my own, what does that mean? I am using the words as if they were labels. I feel strongly that they are not, but nevertheless they are the two most important things in my life after family.
Since this trip is all about antenatal teaching – a study day and a national forum – perhaps I should try to work out why that in particular is so important to me. Earning money as an antenatal teacher is a bit of a joke; unless you compromise on family life, it’s very difficult to work for more than sixteen hours a month or thereabouts, and it’s quite difficult to manage even that much with the current bookings system. So, it couldn’t possibly be about the money.
Image courtesy of the NCT
What teaching antenatal classes means to me is the opportunity to help people find their way through such a special time in their lives. They come to the first class anxious, scared, knowing very little, and by the time they leave to have their babies, they feel revved up and ready to face the challenges and wonders that make up childbirth and becoming a parent. It’s amazing to be able to give people the tools to help themselves through what can sometimes be a very difficult period, and to see them make friends for life through the classes.
Nevertheless, when I go to these big forums or conferences, I do feel very intimidated. I, a mere student in a sea of qualified teachers, unused to the hustle and bustle, and not entirely sure I belong at times. Particularly on this occasion, when events have caused me to question things in a way I wouldn’t have dreamed of a year ago.
So, I’ll go, and I’ll feel small and insignificant, but at the same time I will revel in doing something that means a lot to me, and that has nothing to do with family.
I say that, of course, but…I would never have been inspired to teach if it hadn’t been for my family. Funny how these things come full circle, isn’t it?
Biased? Me?
Posted on: 31/03/2011
I thought it was about time I posted something about the antenatal teacher training I’m doing. (I’ve inadvertently written rather a lot. You have been warned!) I’m trying to do an assignment which involves writing a teaching plan for a breastfeeding class, and to do this one of the best things you can do is go and watch a professional breastfeeding counsellor teach a class or two.
I’ve seen many, many breastfeeding classes now. It’s a bit of a weird one, teaching about breastfeeding before the baby’s out. A bit like trying to drive a car without actually getting in the car and having a go. Especially since everything you learn during such a class will fade to the back of your memory while you’re going through the physical act of having your baby. Only afterwards are you likely to think, OK, so what did so-and-so say during that class?
You're unlikely to see one of these in an NCT breastfeeding class
But the initial thought that springs to mind whenever I observe a class is the comments after a course is over, from people who either intend to bottle-feed, or for various reasons have given up breastfeeding very early, and feel judged by the mere existence of such a class. It doesn’t seem to matter to them that bottle-feeders simply need to follow the instructions on the tin of baby food. Or that to provide a bottle-feeding demonstration in a class contravenes the WHO guidelines. They still feel judged.
But if you compare pushing a shopping trolley round a supermarket to driving a car, would you really need lessons to use the trolley?
At no point in any classes have I ever seen a lecture about why breast is best. Everyone knows already, and pushing the issue down someone’s throat is like having an evangelist spouting their opinions to an agnostic. They could be right, but to have someone confront you in such a way would just make you dig your heels in more, as well as resenting the person who forced the issue. Even if you are in a position where you know the good that breastfeeding can do, it’s nobody’s business but your own how you choose to feed your baby.
The WHO's publication: click on the image if you want to read it for yourself
Interestingly, the WHO is fairly militant about breastfeeding. There is a document online that lists acceptable medical reasons not to breastfeed. This includes maternal HIV or herpes, or medication that would be too strong for the baby to cope with, or a drug user, and so on. To be fair, they are taking the entire world into account, and I’d like to think that people wouldn’t dream of saying formula feeding is OK to use in hot, disease-ridden countries where every micron of immunity from the breast milk gives a baby a bit more chance of survival…unless there was such a medical reason. Fair enough. (And if you want the broader politics, have a look at http://www.babymilkaction.org/)
So what the classes do cover is stuff that is handy to know whether you’re breast or bottle feeding, such as how tiny a newborn baby’s stomach is and why it might not be quite so surprising that they feed so often, and throw up so much milk if there’s only room for a teaspoon’s worth in there in the first day or two. And then they go on to talk about positioning, and what partners should look out for if it hurts, and such like.
In my opinion, there are two main reasons behind those who choose not to breastfeed in the UK. Firstly, they don’t like the idea of it. They haven’t been brought up with it, they feel embarrassed about it and the whole concept is all a bit icky. Secondly, more likely than not, it hurts when you first get started. Your breasts have to get used to it. Positioning is seriously tricky, and breasts are very sensitive. It takes six weeks to for breastfeeding to be fully established, after all.
Once upon a time, breastfeeding used to be controversial. Nowadays, especially in middle-class circles, the tide has turned.
People tend not to cite such reasons first time round. To be honest, the problem is, they feel they have to give a reason. Even though it’s totally OK to give up for any reason. It’s a personal choice.
But, how do you deal with this in a breastfeeding class? People who already don’t want to breastfeed can’t help but feel judged. Even though it’s none of anyone’s business but theirs how they feed their baby, and the class leader will have said so right from the start. There is a real stigma where bottle-feeders can feel really alienated without anyone even saying anything to justify it.
The problem in the class is that those who do not want to breastfeed don’t feel able to voice their opinions in such an environment. All the teacher can say is, it’s up to you. I will not judge you. It’s none of my business what you do with the information I give you.
Often, for the person who wants to bottle-feed, such a statement will not be believed. And unfortunately, teaching about such a sensitive and personal subject, we can only do so much about how people receive the information we give. There are many aspects of antenatal classes that can have this effect. There are frequent opportunities for people to misconstrue the way in which a subject is taught, and to feel that a class is biased, especially when it comes to NCT classes where preconceptions are rife, and people are sensitized to anything that could challenge their opinions.
This is an ongoing issue for pretty much all antenatal teachers. It’s not going to go away. If childbirth and parenting were so straightforward we wouldn’t have been motivated to teach them in the first place. We can only do our best: give the facts, teach evidence-based classes, and help people to make the right decisions for them.
braindribbles 