Antenatal Hypnobirthing Classes and The Cost of Living Crisis.
Times are hard right now. Interest rates are up, wages are down, prices are high.
It might feel like a stressful time to be having a new baby or starting a family. But we have made it a little easier on your pocket at least.
Firstly, don’t skip your antenatal classes or your hypnobirthing classes because they seem pricey. I promise you that they are worth it.
You will never forget the births of your children. What you knew, how you planned and how you were treated. These births will become the framework for those early days of motherhood, so they are absolutely worth investing in.
How can I afford an antenatal hypnobirthing class?
To help you cover the cost we have signed up for the PayPal ‘pay in 3’ system. This means that your online hypnobirthing course will only cost £13 / $16 each month for 3 months. That’s the equivalent of only 4 Vanilla Spice Lattes at Starbucks spread over an entire month! Just one latte a week!
For the London based in-person group class this will work out as £82 a month for 3 months. Which is probably about the same as your gym membership (actually a David Lloyd Gym Membership is £94.50 a month… and I doubt very much you’ll be celebrating that swim or gym visit in quite the same way in 10 years time!).
So, get booking.
Better Birth Stories Hypnobirthing Class Options
Now, what about all the other stuff?
Newborn Baby Essentials
And ‘stuff’ is probably the right word for the vast majority of what new parents are talked into buying while pregnant!
Seriously… they will attempt to sell you anything and everything, so tread carefully!
Here are the things that you will pretty much need:
A cot and/or moses basket.
A buggy.
A changing mat.
A pack of bottles and steriliser if bottle or mix feeding.
A pack of baby onesies - bodysuits, sleepsuits, socks, hats, gloves as appropriate.
A baby blanket (can be used anywhere at any time)
A pile of muslins (these should probably be at the top of the list!)
A thermometer
A baby sling (a life-saver for many, many parents)
A baby sleeping bag.
Yes, there are loads of other things that you can buy.. LOADS…
But nappies can just go straight into your house bin, they don’t actually need their own bin.
You can get a simple foldable baby changing mat, a pack of wipes, spare nappies and clothes and just shove these into your existing bag. You don’t need to buy a whole new bag just for your baby.
That expensive buggy travel system that you’ve been seeing out and about everywhere and all over the John Lewis catalogue can probably be picked up on ebay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for about the third of the price (honestly, train yourself to think like a 2nd or 3rd time mum on this).
You don’t need a super-expensive cot as your baby will most likely be in their moses basket near your bed for the first few months of life. Even then Ikea sells brilliant cots at fantastic prices and plenty of cots can be purchased 2nd hand.
Every single charity shop that caters for babies and children will be choc full of moses baskets and their stands as little ones grow out of them so quickly. Grab one from them and just purchase a new mattress for the inside.
If you’re lucky you may even have a council or mum and baby unit that hands out the baby starter packs that include a large box that is then turned into a cot for your baby. These are absolutely brilliant so do seek them out.
Nappies?
What type of nappies you choose is entirely up to you. Disposable, organic or cloth.
In the long run cloth will probably be the most affordable but the original outlay will be more. They are definitely worth checking out though.
As of the rest? Hassle friends with grown up kids to see if they are ready to pass any equipment on. Scour Ebay and Facebook Marketplace regularly to see what is turning up and always swing by your local mum and baby charity shops. They are simply wonderful, an Aladdin's cave of baby treasures.
You can easily spend thousands setting up for a new baby. But as every 2nd or 3rd time mum will tell you, you really don’t need to.
Babies get bigger so quickly and items are shed at an alarming rate. The quality of second hand goods are thus nearly new.
Yes, times are hard right now. But being a bargain hunter at any time feels good. Just ensure that you get your antenatal classes booked in. xx
Want to prepare for your birth with us? We teach hypnobirthing in three wonderful ways:
Our in-person hypnobirthing classes held in London