Antenatal classes can be a good way of meeting other people in the same situation. They provide support and advice and are informative. These classes can help women gain confidence in looking after a baby and highlight what mothers should expect in the first few weeks after birth. They give women the chance to meet some of the professionals that will be involved in their pregnancy and classes may also include a visit to the labor wards.

What you can expect and how our sessions are carried out:

• Women are welcome to join from 28 weeks of pregnancy onwards. Our Course consists of a series of 6 sessions, held on a Wednesday evening from 6:30 p.m.  to 8:00 p.m.

• To ensure an informal atmosphere and to enable women to know and become friends with each other, classes are strictly limited to a maximum of 12 persons.

• A person can attend alone or with a partner.

• Classes are held in the newly opened Integral Health Care Medical Clinic at the Rodney Bay Medical Centre.

• Light refreshments are served during each class.

• Notes and brochures are given to each attendee. Various audio-visual aids will be used in the teaching of the Course.

• Our Classes are run by a certified Mid-wife in conjunction with a Family Practitioner, Obstetrician, Pediatrician and Lactation Consultant.

Topics covered include:

• Pregnancy, what happens in labor and how the baby is born

• Talking with health professionals

• Trying out positions for labor to make it easier coping strategies for labor

• Pain relief, exploring natural and drug-assisted methods

• Some of the complications of labor that might occur, caesarean birth

• The role of a partner or other labor support and their needs

• What it might be like when you become a parent and form your own family

• Caring for the newborn and the needs of the new baby

• Infant feeding including preparation for breastfeeding

Please call us at 452 8621 for further information.