Carol Janes, an NCT antenatal teacher and branch volunteer, shares how NCT shaped and supported her journey as a parent and tells us why she recently walked across Scotland for her local NCT branch…
I first became aware of NCT when I was a student nurse observing NHS parentcraft sessions. I saw how different the session was when it was facilitated by one of the health visitors who also worked for NCT.
My NCT network was vital for my emotional wellbeing and ability to breastfeed.
Class members were active, trying out exercises and discussing information rather than just listening. So when I was expecting my first child I signed up for NCT classes as soon as I could.
I spent my last trimester building a network of social contacts and support and getting used to being at home rather than working full time.
Like many new parents we lived a long distance from our family and I believe my NCT network was vital for my emotional wellbeing and for my ability to breastfeed my baby.
When my second child was about to arrive, the local NCT teacher moved out of the area. There was a notice in the newsletter encouraging women to consider antenatal teacher training. This was the start of something that continues to be a huge part of my life.
Yes, in May, encouraged by my husband, I completed The Great Outdoor (TGO) Challenge. We fundraised for my local NCT branch and backpacked across Scotland covering 250km and carrying 14kg of equipment (the weight of a typical two year old!).
On the first two nights we had ice inside our tent and steep assents to tackle by day. Going steeply uphill I found my breathing pattern changed, like changing gear in the car.
Breathing for labour came to mind and I focused on the out breath, being mindful of each step, each breath, and not worrying about how much more hill there was to go.
The last two days were tough as a persistent wind got up and my left ankle became swollen and tender. Again I thought of labour, that last bit of uphill struggle before the pushing stage begins and the end is in sight.
I reached for the paracetamol and was delighted to walk into Fraserburgh, blister free, to complete the challenge.
The money raised will help my local Inverness NCT branch with publicity, recruiting volunteers, and setting up a sling library. We have a successful Bumps & Babies group and some regular first aid courses running with a handful of members and volunteers. There is so much more we could do.
I hope that we can build some partnerships with other organisations and help women in our area to find a voice to help with the future development of maternity care in Scotland.
Low population density and the larger distances between urban centres makes the Highlands a very beautiful place, but it can also be very isolating. It’s harder to gather together a group of women, due at the same time, to run an antenatal course, for example. Volunteers travel long distances (sometimes around 35 miles) to help out at Bumps & Babies groups, and many parents are a long way from their family while their partners may work miles away, or even off-shore.
Maternity services can also be some distance away with a serious shortage of midwives in certain areas, and specialist services like neonatal surgery are not always available locally. However, facing these challenges together can foster a wonderful spirit of community and resourcefulness.
Parents today grapple with an information overload, a fast pace of change, lots of new communication technology and a culture that is very risk averse.
Parents need the empowering support of NCT more than ever.
There is evidence to show that this can make us, and our children, more anxious and less confident. Parents need the empowering support of NCT more than ever.
NCT supported me as I made my own decisions on my parenting journey that were different to the prevailing culture at that time.
I had two home births and weaned my babies at around six months though the norm then was to start babies on purees at three months.
I hope that NCT will continue to provide information, support and friendship to parents for many years to come, and that it will continue to challenge our thinking.
I am very thankful for everything that NCT had given me over the years. Thank you for all the friends I have made and for the friends my children have made too.
Thank you for challenging me and for helping me to meet those challenges, for the training and support I receive.
Most of all, thank you for the privilege of sharing such an important time of life with so many wonderful parents and their babies.
Read more about Carol’s expeditions in the Child and Maternal Health blog for Scotland. The blog features regular updates from the child and maternal health policy team and information and progress on the strategic review of maternity and neonatal services in Scotland.
Get in touch if you’d like to share your #NCT story. We’d love to hear from you. Email sanjima.dezoysa@nct.org.uk
