The Background to BTC
Why was Bump to Cradle created?
We feel passionately that our classes are providing an unrivalled approach to antenatal education for the new mums and dads to be of Bristol and surrounding areas!
As mums of young children ourselves, we have spoken with friends and other fellow mums along the way who have just had babies, mostly all coping really well with a newborn but often hear some disappointment in terms of how they felt their labour was and how the early days are going or had been.
They report feeling ill-prepared for when things don’t go to plan and also not well-informed about what was normal and what was not with their babies. As a result, women (and men) can sometimes be left feeling guilty about their birth experience and anxious and unsure about how to look after a newborn.
Some of our own friends have shared that at their own antenatal classes, they made fantastic and lasting social connections but they didn't always feel that the quality of the information being given out wasn’t optimal. The focus was on a natural birth, with natural feeding methods to follow with little to no information given on what the options were if these weren’t possible. Ideally, of course, lots of mums to be want these things but the reality can sometimes be different first time round so it feels necessary to bring some classes to the table which were balanced, non judgemental and realistic in their approach, as well as being fun of course! I mean surely you can make friends AND get all the information to make you feel as prepared as possible?
What about if you are desperate to breastfeed but your nipples are so sore and the baby won't latch? Our feeding experts can speak openly about the realities of breastfeeding and can offer advice and support on this topic.
Or what do you do if your 3 week old baby will not stop crying/feeding in the evenings and it seems like colic? Our Sleep Consultants and Paediatricians can advise you.
Or if you are worried about how you will cope with a newborn and the sleep deprivation and the effect on your mental health. Our GPs (and other experts) speak very openly about how having your first child can affect your mental health and where to go for support.
The bottom line is that if women and their partners are informed about all the different options and feel supported then I strongly believe that this can lead to a better overall experience. You can never be totally prepared for having your first child but some really good antenatal classes can go a long way to help out!
The various experts that women and their partners will meet during Bump to Cradle classes are in the best possible position to give out this information and provide a relaxed environment for questions.