Setting up your Antenatal Classroom

It can feel really exciting and overwhelming when you are planning to teach your first in person antenatal classes, and whilst there is a lot to consider, you don’t need to overthink it too much. First some practicalities… 

First, where are you going to hold your antenatal classes? Are you going to hire a venue or will you use your home to host? Most antenatal teachers will end up hiring a venue so lets start there. Some things to consider when you are looking to hire an antenatal space: 

Cost! This is an obvious one. And if this is the first time you have hired a space then it can be hard to know what is a reasonable price. First, you have to have an idea of what you can personally afford - a good rule is that your first couple pays for your venue cost. So if you are charging £250 per couple you don’t want to be paying much more than this for your venue hire (less if possible!) 

It’s also a good idea to shop around and get an idea of what different venues and sizes charge per hour, so make sure you are getting a reasonable price for the space and time you are hiring it for. When deciding on your Antenatal venue think about:

It’s accessibility - are there tonnes of stairs? 
Parking - close by? 
It’s is clean and does it smell good (you can take your own oils etc but pregnant women have a much stronger sense of smell, so if there is any damp/bin smell etc not good!) 
It is warm in winter/cool in summer? Do they have fans/heaters if not? 
Is there space, not just for teaching but for practical hands on teaching and also for your parents to be social, chat with a cup of tea etc?
Is it easy to use/bring refreshments 
Is there good wifi? If you are using videos etc this is important
Do they have tables and chairs or do you have to bring your own (this can be a lot if you are having to provide everything, unlikely but do check!)  
Is it safe and secure, will you feel comfortable packing and locking up on your own in the evenings?
Not as important but a plus - are you able to stick things on the walls/decorate 
Can you leave any of your equipment there safely (can be helpful if you can but not a necessity) 
And are they a business with a big local following? Can they promote your Antenatal Courses? 

Importantly though, you need to like the vibe - how does it feel to you when you are in there. You will be able to dress the room up to really embody your brand, but you have to feel comfortable yourself in the space. Then you know others will. 

How to decorate your Antenatal Classroom!

So let’s talk about decorations! This is the fun bit, how do you want your expectant clients to FEEL when they come into the room? Long gone are the days where Antenatal Classes were held in cold, dusty huge halls!

Think about how you can bring your content to life in your classes, is your space Oxytocin rich? You can use oils in an atomiser, have battery operated candles and fairy lights. Dried flowers look amazing and last a long time. Affirmations can be printed and placed on the wall - you can make these yourself on Canva or lots of great things on Etsy. Think of your parents senses, how comfortable will they be? Are you going to do some relaxation, will they need yoga mats, blankets? Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking into your classroom space, like in birth, what so you want to see, smell, hear, feel?

Branding is also important, especially as you’ll be taking photos of your classroom space (it’s a great idea to showcase this as it can really help you get pregnant clients) and hopefully your clients will too, and share these pics on their social media. Roller banners are a really fantastic way of bringing your brand into any space and they are portable, so you can get a lot of use from these, and they are super high impact. Also they work well if you attend any baby or parenting events. Good value for money - and we recommend www.printed.com/products/roller-banners. 

Giving your clients branded notebooks is also fab, but this can start to become quite expensive. A great tip is getting your logo printed on a stamp and then buying some cheaper plain notebooks, and just adding your inked logo to them. If you pick the right notebooks these can look fab, try your local supermarkets Asda do great notebooks, plus these picnic bags for your goodie bags are great value for money!

What equipment do you need to run your Antenatal Classes: 

This Kit list will vary from person to person on what you want to provide/use in your own classes. Some links below also to source some useful props:

TV Screen for slides/videos info
Flip Chart & Pens
You will need to have your certificate on display ideally 
Stickers to use as name tags
Pens/Notebooks if you want to supply
Baby’s to use to demo see link below
Baby bath to use to demo - all this can be used on FB marketplace
Nappies to demo
Cotton Wool, nappy sacks etc to demo
Bottles, sterilizing etc etc to demo (remember you cannot promote any brands of baby food)
Birthing Ball to demo
Batt Operated Candles/Fairy lights
Combs/Tens Machine to demo
You may also want to use a Moses basket to demo safe sleep for example
Decorations 
Refreshments
Dolls - like the ones you see below
Pelvis - This is not a necessity loads of people do teach without one
Laminator - these are so handy so you can reuse posters, for affirmations and more

This is a fab guide to start with, but ultimately you need to make sure that your space really reflects YOU, your vibe, and what you stand for. Also don’t put too much pressure on yourself to totally transform a venue, just go back to the beginning of this blog and make sure the space is comfortable, warm/cool depending on the weather, they have the option to get a cup of tea and a biscuit and you have got the time to be able to walk them through the knowledge clearly, with time and space for questions. 

If you need more help and support with setting up your Antenatal Classroom, with teaching aids, lesson structure, plans and resources then our Birth Business Pack could be really helpful for you. It’s really valuable especially if starting out, or if you are looking to refresh your content. More info on the Birth Business Pack here.