Could Antenatal Classes for Men Help to Prepare You for Fatherhood?

Not too long ago, a father within the UK wouldn't have had much of a role in looking after their children; clearly defined roles placed the woman as the mother looking after the children, while the father went out to work. Today though, both men and women play an equal role in working and raising their children as in the majority of families both parents must work to provide enough income. As such, antenatal classes these days can be just as important for men as they are for women. If you yourself are a dad to be you might be interested in the different options that are available to you in terms of antenatal classes.

What Sort of Antenatal Classes Are Available for Men?

Before we start to consider which would be the best antenatal class for you to go to, let's think about the different options that are available:

• Women only antenatal classes usually provide 1 to 2 sessions for dads to be to meet while the women have their usual lesson.


• Couples’ classes feature involvement from both the mother and the father, and will teach many useful skills such as how to support your partner in breathing during labour.


• Lectures may be run in towns and cities within the UK that are aimed at men. These sessions will include content such as what to expect through the pregnancy and after.


• Practical baby care sessions may be run either for couples, for women only, or for men only, and can teach useful and practical skills such as changing nappies.


• Fathers’ antenatal classes are rare, but are starting to become more common. Within these lessons only men will be present, allowing you to form a bond with other dads while learning some useful and practical skills.

How to Choose the Best Antenatal Class?

The first thing that you need to consider when choosing your antenatal class is how much you are likely to be involved during labour. If you will be there at birth as a birth partner, massaging the mother and helping with her breathing, then couples’ classes will certainly be appropriate for the scenario. If you picture your role as more of a hand holder, then just a couple of lessons alongside your partner's regular classes may be more than suitable.

Making this decision yourself could be a good way to alienate your partner who may want you to be more involved, or less. Why not have a discussion now to determine the best classes for you.

Why Attend Antenatal Classes?

Attending antenatal classes may not seem that relevant to you, but there are many benefits to be reaped from making the effort. For one, the classes may help to make everything seem more real for you. Hearing about the birth, and what comes after, may help to seal the realisation that you are soon to be a father. These courses also contain practical advice that you can really use to help your partner through the birth of your child. And if nothing else, they are an excellent opportunity to meet more dads to be, potentially creating some lifelong friendships as you go through this process together.

Many men miss out on antenatal classes due to feeling awkward and the belief that these lessons are something only for women. This really isn't the case so why not book into a class today to see just how much you could get from an antenatal class.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by emifaulk
cc licensed flickr photo shared by ephotography

Rebecca L. Smith is a full time freelance writer based in the UK. She specialises in creating an assortment of articles on a range of different topics of interest.