What You’ll Learn in Your Antenatal Classes
Preparing for birth and early parenting can bring a lot of questions.
Many parents wonder:
Will this class actually be useful? Will I leave feeling more prepared?
The goal of these classes isn’t to overload you with information. It’s to help you understand what’s normal, know your options, and feel confident supporting each other through labour, birth and the early weeks with your baby.
By the end of the course, you’ll have practical tools, clear information, and a better understanding of how birth and early parenting unfold in real life.
Night 1: Preparing your Body and Mind for Labour
This first session focuses on understanding your body, your care team, and how to set yourself up for a smoother labour experience.
By the end of this session you will:
• Understand how pregnancy and labour work from an anatomical perspective
• Know the role of your Lead Maternity Carer and when to contact them
• Learn how your baby’s position can influence labour
• Discover simple ways to encourage optimal positioning in late pregnancy
• Understand how your birth environment can affect labour hormones
• Know what is actually useful to pack for labour and what isn’t
This session helps you feel grounded in how birth works and what you can do during pregnancy to support your body and your baby.
Night 2: Navigating the Journey - Understanding the Stages of Labour
One of the biggest sources of anxiety in labour is not knowing what’s happening.
This session walks through the journey of labour step-by-step so you know what to expect and how to respond.
By the end of this session you will:
• Know the signs that labour may be starting
• Understand the different stages of labour and how they unfold
• Recognise what is normal and when to seek support
• Learn positions and movement that help labour progress
• Understand why being upright can make labour easier
• Learn practical coping techniques for contractions
• Know how partners and support people can help during labour
• Understand what usually happens in the first moments after birth
Parents often say this session helps labour feel less mysterious and more manageable.
Night 4: First Steps in Parenting - Feeding and Caring for your Baby
The early weeks with a newborn can feel intense and overwhelming. This session focuses on practical newborn care and feeding support.
By the end of this session you will:
• Understand the basics of feeding your baby
• Learn about breastfeeding, expressing and formula feeding
• Know what newborn behaviour is normal
• Learn practical ways to soothe and settle your baby
• Understand where to seek help if feeding challenges arise
• Feel more confident caring for your baby in the early weeks
This session focuses on keeping early parenting simple, realistic and supportive.
Night 3: When Birth Takes a Different Path
Birth doesn’t always follow a single pathway. Understanding your options helps you feel calmer if things change.
By the end of this session you will:
• Understand common medical interventions used during labour
• Know when and why they may be recommended
• Learn the benefits and risks of different options
• Understand both natural and medical pain relief choices
• Learn how to ask questions and make informed decisions during labour
The goal isn’t to push any particular birth style — it’s to help you understand your options so you can make decisions that feel right for you.
Night 5: Final Countdown: Real-Life Baby Prep
The final session brings everything together as you prepare for birth and the first weeks with your baby.
We focus on the practical realities of newborn life, postnatal recovery, and the small but important things that help parents feel calmer and more confident when baby arrives.
By the end of this session you will:
• Learn how to safely bathe your baby and feel confident handling them
• Understand how and why swaddling can help newborns feel secure
• Learn simple baby massage techniques, including a gentle foot massage that can help with tummy discomfort, congestion and teething
• Know what is normal in the postnatal period — and what may be a signal to seek support
• Understand the second night syndrome and why babies can suddenly become unsettled after birth
• Learn what daily life with a newborn can realistically look like in the early weeks
• Understand normal newborn nappies — including what to expect with poos and wees
• Learn ways to help your baby transition from womb to world more smoothly
• Understand emotional changes after birth, including the signs of postnatal depression and where to find support
• Learn practical ways to support your own physical recovery after birth
• Create your own soothing peri spray to take home for postnatal healing
• Reflect on your parenting intentions and the kind of parent you hope to be
• Review upright labour positions with a visual guide
• Begin writing a flexible birth wish list that reflects your preferences while staying adaptable
This final session helps you move into birth and early parenting with practical tools, realistic expectations, and a clearer sense of what those first weeks might look like.
What Parents Often Say After the Course
Parents frequently tell me they leave the classes feeling:
• calmer about labour
• clearer about their choices
• more confident supporting each other
• better prepared for life with a newborn
You don’t need to remember everything.
You just need to understand enough to trust yourselves and know where to turn for support.
Ongoing Support Through the Bellies to Babies Support Hub
Alongside your classes and resources, you’ll also have access to the Bellies to Babies Support Hub — a dedicated online community where you can continue learning, ask questions, and stay connected.
Inside the hub you’ll find:
• Helpful pregnancy and birth resources
• Early parenting guidance and discussions
• Practical checklists and learning tools
• Space to ask questions and share experiences
• Ongoing support as you move through pregnancy and early parenting
The hub is designed to support you before, during, and after your classes, giving you a place to return to when new questions arise.
And if you haven’t attended a class yet - you’re still very welcome to join us here.
