Week 12: Antenatal classes
Image: @daisyashcroft
Welcome to week 12 of the Happy Parents Happy Baby guide to pregnancy, birth and beyond.
This week we'll be covering:
We hope you enjoy it!
Why book antenatal classes?
The end of the first trimester is an ideal time to start looking into antenatal classes.
They’re a great way to help you gain knowledge and practical skills to prepare for the arrival of your baby. They can also help you meet friends who are having babies at a similar time to you. These friends are likely to be a great support during the 3am feeds and for many years after that as your children reach important milestones growing up together.
This week Happy Parents Happy Baby founders Will and Fran explain why they started Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes… and why they would love you to join them:
“We started this journey back in 2017, after the birth of our first daughter, when we discovered there was quite a large gap between the theory and reality of having a baby.
We wanted to be prepared, but there were so many books and courses available we didn’t know where to start. We ended up taking traditional antenatal classes, a hypnobirthing course, a hospital antenatal course and a separate first aid course. Then, when things got tricky, we needed private breastfeeding support at home too.
The whole process was expensive, there was lots of conflicting advice and nothing really prepared us for when things might deviate from ‘normal.’ We realised there must be a better way of doing things.
So, with our collective experiences, Will as an Obstetric Doctor, working in maternity units and Francesca as a former Sky News journalist turned medical doctor, we set about creating Happy Parents Happy Baby.
Our goal was simple. To give parents access to clear and unbiased information that they could trust. We knew that the only way to achieve this, was to bring together a whole team of specialists, that could work together to give the best possible level of support for each stage of pregnancy, birth and parenting.
Not only would this give parents-to-be the most realistic and joined up preparation for birth, but also save time, money and confusion.
Our team of specialists includes midwives, hypnobirthing teachers, obstetric doctors, women’s health physiotherapists, paediatric (baby) doctors, feeding specialists and baby first aid instructors.
Together we combine years of professional experience with the all-important reality of being parents ourselves. We are dedicated to bridging the gap between theory and reality.
We’re also passionate about helping you make lifelong friendships with other parents-to-be. We know how important that support can be.
So if you’re looking for an antenatal course and have any questions do reach out - we would love to hear from you!”
Your baby’s development in week 12
Size of a lime
Weighs around 18g
Around 5.4cm long
This is a big week for you and your baby. The foetus is now fully formed!
Your baby’s organs, bones and muscles are all formed and their sex organs are developing too. Will they be a boy or a girl??
From now on your baby needs to do a lot of growing and your bump may start to show in the coming weeks too but it’s a bit too early to start feeling any movements yet.
Week 12 Checklist
You might like to:
Announce your news if this feels like the right time. Many people choose to share their news after their 12-week scan, if they haven’t already. This is a personal decision, so you may prefer to wait.
Wash your hands. The pandemic has taught us the importance of hand hygiene and this is also important when you’re pregnant. You don’t want to pick up any sickness bugs or other illnesses while you’re pregnant.
Flu and Covid jabs. Pregnant women are advised to have the flu jab to protect them and their baby from severe illness. The Covid jab is also on offer to pregnant women if they haven’t had it before. Speak to your GP or midwife if you have any questions about these vaccines.
Spotlight on: Peeing more
Each week we'll be delving into the common symptoms of early pregnancy and bringing you top tips for managing them from our team of specialists and parent community.
Spending more time in the toilet is not something I expected in the first trimester!
Why? You can blame frequent trips for a pee on the hormone hCG which increases the blood flow to your pelvic area. Your body releases this hormone at the very beginning of your pregnancy and it is hCG which gives you the positive result on a pregnancy test. It also increases the blood flow to your kidneys which become more efficient during pregnancy. Another factor causing your need to pee is that as your uterus grows it puts pressure on your bladder which then has less room to store urine. This can mean that many women spend a large proportion of their pregnancy dashing to the toilet.
Top tips for dealing with frequent toilet trips:
Try to make sure you are emptying your bladder fully each time by leaning forward as you urinate.
Cutting down on diuretics such as coffee could help but it is important to still remain well hydrated.
See your GP if you have any pain when you pee. Urinary tract infections are common in pregnancy, and it's important to treat them quickly to reduce the risk of kidney infection.
Birth story of the week
This week we catch up with Katherine and Ross from our live online course who share the positive birth of their baby Kaila.
“During my third trimester my husband and I listened to the Happy Parents Happy Baby relaxations and practised their breathing techniques every night. I knew I wanted to feel calm and in control during the birth and hypnobirthing seemed the perfect way to do this.
“I had Braxton Hicks on the Friday night and things started to happen around 3pm on Saturday. I had a bath and used my breathing until around 5pm and then got out and started using the TENS machine while I watched my favourite films. We went into hospital at 10pm and I was 2cm. We went home and I kept listening to my favourite HPHB relaxations! We returned to hospital at 1am and I was 4cm! I took a paracetamol and Codeine and I was in a birthing pool for about 2 hours while my husband massaged my back – he kept reminding me of the breathing exercises. I got out the bath to be monitored and the actual pushing lasted an hour…Kaila was born at 5:47am on the Sunday morning!
“I would definitely recommend Happy Parents. Happy Baby - they are all so kind, relatable and knowledgeable.”
We’re grateful to Katherine and Ross for sharing their story.
Treat of the week
Happy Baby on board badge
A baby on board badge is a great way to let other people know that you are pregnant, which is especially useful in early pregnancy when you are out and about and it’s not always obvious you are expecting.
By wearing a ‘Baby on Board Badge’ other passengers on public transport are more likely to offer you their seat if you need it or give you some extra space in crowded places.
The Happy Baby on board badge offers a fun and modern alternative to traditional designs.
Products are based on suggestions from our specialists and community of parents. We may earn commission from shopping links.
Join our community
Happy Parents Happy Baby is here to support you through every step of your pregnancy, birth and parenting journey.
Connect with other parents-to-be and learn everything you need to know, by joining our award-winning antenatal classes.
That's all for now...
Thank you so much for joining us!
Have a great week.
Information you
can trust
Our articles are based on the latest-evidence based guidelines and scientific research and are written by our team of medical experts.
Coming up
next week
Sleep - how to do it safely and get more of it.
Spotlight on: bleeding gums
Check out our Instagram page for extra resources from our team of experts and for free live events, such as pregnancy relaxation sessions
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