Antenatal Classes for First Time Parents in Bermondsey
Please introduce yourself and your business
Hello. We are Will and Francesca Dooley – founders of Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes and we are very excited to be bringing our courses to Bermondsey. 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 found that traditional antenatal classes weren’t really geared up for the needs of a modern family and knew that 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 HPHB.
Our goal was simple. To give parents access to clear and unbiased information that they could trust as well as helping them form lifelong friendships with other local parents-to-be.
Five years on, we are welcoming tens of thousands of parents to our courses each year. We hold in person courses all over London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex, as well as online. We run weaning and first aid courses and even have classes for grandparents.
What does a typical Antenatal course look like for new parents-to-be?
The course is broken down into 14.5 hours of teaching, with hypnobirthing and first aid included. You can find the full course details here But in summary, our aim is to bring parents-to-be everything they need in one course and we believe this consists of two things.
The first is access to the very best, evidence-based information. So unlike other antenatal classes, ours are delivered by a team of seven different specialists covering everything you need to know for pregnancy, birth and parenting. This includes a midwife, obstetric doctor, women’s health physiotherapist, hypnobirthing teacher, paediatric doctor, feeding expert and baby first aid instructor.
The second thing is a community of local like-minded parents that can support you through all the twists and turns of welcoming a new baby. We structure our courses in a way that helps people make friends for life. We meet in sociable venues, hold group socials, reunions and encourage ongoing meet-ups with the babies. Our course mates are always on hand to support each other through the night feeds and all enjoy all their babies’ major milestones together. They also love a day out or even a holiday together.
Why HPHB for new parents?
People often ask why we are different to other antenatal classes:
The Team
We believe that one person can’t be an expert in all areas of pregnancy, birth and parenting. Our courses involve SEVEN experts in their field; a midwife, obstetric doctor, women’s health physiotherapist, hypnobirthing teacher, paediatric doctor, feeding expert and baby first aid instructor.
Not only do they share all the latest evidence-based information and practical skills from their expert areas, but as parents and frontline NHS workers themselves, will provide you with realistic, caring and non-judgmental support and answer all your questions in depth and detail, unlike pre-recorded courses.
The Social
Thousands of people graduate from our course each year with friends for life. We carefully craft social time into all aspects of our course. From our choice of venues, to group socials, reunions and ongoing meet-ups with your babies, you will have every chance to connect with other like-minded parents-to-be.
The Savings
Your time and money are precious, so we include hypnobirthing and baby first aid classes for no extra cost. These sessions won’t be pre-recorded videos like on other courses and everything for birth and the fourth trimester are covered - we won’t try to sell you bundles.
The Support
Families come in all shapes and sizes and whatever your set-up, we will support your needs. Our courses are popular with single, same-sex or second (or subsequent) time parents.
The Added Extras
You’ll graduate the course with ongoing support from the team, our course app full of useful supplemental information, the Happy Tote bag, handouts and exclusive discounts.
What do your team and/or previous course attendees think of you hosting classes in SE1/SE16?
We have courses in more than 40 locations – but Bermondsey has something really unique. It’s a young, vibrant area, with more and more families setting up home here. For many years we have been inundated with requests to set up a course here. We’re so excited to make this happen.
Please can you share one of your Bermondsey course memorable moments that really highlights the community aspect of your services?
Our courses are all about connecting local people having babies at the same time and helping them form an amazing community of friends that will last a lifetime. This is especially important in London where we find people don’t always have family support nearby. Our course mates are always on hand for a chat during the 3am feeds, for a walk and a coffee after a tiring night.
How did your Bermondsey/SE1/SE16 story begin and share with us why you chose to host at The St James of Bermondsey Pub?
We put a lot of time and effort into choosing the venues for our courses. We want our attendees to feel relaxed and comfortable and St James of Bermondsey fits the bill perfectly. It’s in a great location at the heart of the community and will hopefully be somewhere the parents will come back to time and time again once their babies have arrived.
Are there any other places in the local area that you love to visit and why?
We have three children under the age of six and we love visiting Bermondsey because there really is something for everyone. Like all kids, ours always want a snack - so Maltby Street Market or Borough Market are always a winner. For obvious reasons we also survive on coffee - so love visiting all the great spots on Bermondsey Street. The kids love a walk along the river and there’s also an amazing playground in Southwark Park. The end of a perfect day would also include watching the sun go down from The Shard.
Describe Bermondsey in three words
Amazing for families!
SOON TO BE PARENTS?
Use code Bermondsey15 at checkout and get £15 OFF your antenatal course.
