A lot of parents looking for childbirth education perinatal education and support are focused on “how to birth.”  They’re looking for a childbirth “method.”  They think they need to learning techniques for working with their body in order to have a natural or safe birth.  Esali birth thinks much more about the education surrounding the birth time.  We provide perinatal education because it provides topics ranging from pregnancy through birth, breastfeeding, postpartum and beyond.  These are some of the many reasons I’ve discussed with parents as to why a series like Esali Birth is so important.  It isn’t about how to birth – it’s about why it matters and how you’re influencing it with every choice you make (or don’t).  In no particular order and certainly not the only reasons here are 101 reasons to take a childbirth education class... a good childbirth education class… one like Esali Birth that doesn’t promote a specific method (except #theoxytocinmethod) or provide a combative viewpoint for fighting in labor but instead learning your options and making decisions based on your birth philosophy:

1. Being in a group of people experiencing similar things.
2. Finding a go-to for resources.
3. Regular focus on the health of you and your baby.
4. Nutritional guidance.
5. Discovering a realistic approach to birth safety.
6. Learning options in birth from unassisted to full medical.
7. Learning your rights to informed consent [and refusal] – informed decisions – even if you’re bullied during birth.
8. Discovering your responsibility in birth choices – even if you’re bullied during birth.
9. Discovering just why the birth location affects so much about your health and happiness in birth.
10. Discovering how your care provider influences your health and happiness in birth.
11. Learning to navigate the birth industry.
12. Learning the emotional connection to starting labor and progressing through labor.
13. Learning how modern “evidence based” practice is both rarely utilized in the hospital and also misunderstood with most parents.
14. Finding your inner strength to learn about your instincts.
15. Finding your inner strength to trust your instincts – both to ask for help and for knowing how to birth.
16. Learning techniques to work with discomfort in pregnancy.
17. Learning techniques to work with discomfort in labor.
18. Learning techniques to work with discomfort postpartum.
19. Learning techniques to ease breastfeeding and make it natural, normal, and anticipated.
20. Learning techniques to care for your baby.
21. Learning how our hormones help us through labor.
22. Learning how Dad’s hormones are influenced.
23. Learning how dads are told to hold more responsibility in many birth methods than their emotional psyche was designed, and instead empowers them to support mom with their natural instincts.
24. Providing dads with the knowledge, point blank, to support mom and how it can be beneficial to hire a doula.
25. Learning about doula support.
26. Learning about your family’s influence on the health and happiness of the birth.
27. Providing knowledge of biological birth, the way your body works when unassisted, and how your choices influence your birth and change that path.
28. Supporting and respecting you as an emotional being no matter what birth you choose or need.
29. Understanding the incredible cultural influences our society has on birth choices and your perspective of safety.
30. Learning the alternatives to routine prenatal care.
31. Learning why your emotional health in pregnancy affects your birth and postpartum.
32. Learning why some moms get 2 hours of prenatal care with time to feel completely comfortable with their provider, and others receive only 15 minutes.
33. Learning how scare tactics are used in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and pediatric care.
34. Learning why no choice will guarantee safety.
35. Learning why birth can be orgasmic – and how to influence that.
36. Learning why birth can be painful – and how to reduce that.
37. Learning why birth can be empowering – and how to create that.
38. Learning why birth can be normal, no big deal with little emotional connection – and how that’s OK.
39. Learning why induction messes with the pain scale and birth stories of so many in Western cultures.
40. Learning why 42+ weeks can be normal, and emotionally connected, in birth.
41. Learning why you may be passionate about your birth choices while other mothers aren’t.
42. Learning why other countries let premature babies breastfeed and go home with their parents much sooner than America.
43. Learning why hospitals in other countries put parents in the center of care – especially within the NICU – encourage skin to skin and co-sleeping, for the health and safety of the newborn.
44. Learning how much fear surrounds birth choices and how to reduce that.
45. Learning why “midwife” isn’t a guarantee of an “evidence-based” birth.’
46. Learning why “OB” isn’t a guarantee of safety.
47. Learning why “hospital” or “interventions available” doesn’t mean safety.
48. Learning how the nurses – who often have less experience of normal birth than a midwife and much less knowledge of medicated birth than the surgeon OBs – are actually providing the care during labor and noticing complications for the majority of births… because even though you hire an OB, they’re likely only going to be there to catch the baby.
49. Learning why many hospital midwives still only arrive to catch the baby and not attend the labor.
50. Learning why an experienced provider attending the labor helps prevent complications and increases safety in birth.
51. Learning why “home birth” isn’t a guarantee of non-medical or influenced birth.
52. Learning why women are birthing unassisted.
53. Learning how medications can reach your baby
54. Learning how oxygen for resuscitation can be harmful.
55. Learning why you need to focus on your relationship during (or before) pregnancy.
56. Focusing on your relationship during pregnancy.
57. Couple bonding and counseling.
58. Man-2-Man style prep for dads – point blank guidance and encouragement for pregnancy, birth, and breastfeed support.
59. Focusing on knowing your birth partner’s approach to your needs and making birth choices that support his ability and desire to be what you want and need in birth.
60. Learning how the first hours after birth influence the health of the mom and baby.
61. Learning how the first hours after birth affect the stress hormones of the mom and baby.
62. Learning how dads are emotionally connected to the birth.
63. Learning how siblings are emotionally connected to the birth.
64. Learning why lovey dovey birth is a reflection of the couple’s relationship and not a birth method.
65. Learning how to choose a doula.
66. Learning how to choose a birth location.
67. Learning how to choose a care provider.
68. Learning how to make an effective birth plan guide.
69. Learning how to be realistic about your birth choices.
70. Learning how you can be a modern person in an emotionally connected experience.
71. Learning how your health influences breastfeeding.
72. Learning the Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding.
73. Learning the influence of the birth team on breastfeeding.
74. Learning the basics of breastfeeding and support in the process.
75. Learning how pacifiers influence breastfeeding.
76. Learning how to be a working – and attached – parent.
77. Learning how to carry or wrap your baby.
78. Learning about not-your-momma’s cloth diapers.
79. Taking a birth series that encourages early learning and offers pre-conception classes as well as accepts non-pregnant moms and couples so you can have time to digest the information and possible make a comfortable decision change.
80. Empowering you to make changes when your birth desires aren’t compatible with your current situation.
81. Empowering you to VBAC.
82. Providing knowledge of breech vaginal birth.
83. Learning techniques for Optimal Fetal Positioning – but not freaking out about it.
84. Learning techniques for flipping a breech – like being patient and many more.
85. Learning the importance of spontaneous birth.
86. Learning how studies support cesarean birth before long exhaustive or pitocin-augmented labors.
87. Connecting with someone early in pregnancy to be comfortable with them at your birth or asking questions any time.
88. Seeing siblings in a birth class because sitters aren’t always easy (or needed) because kids need to be integrated into our life without us feeling guilty for it, even though it may not be able to pay attention to all the words.  Trust me, if you’re here you’ve already begun your research and are ready to soak up the information.  You have a goal in mind.  Our human brains don’t allow us to fully digest all the information packed into a 2-3 hour class or a 10+ week series.  It is a starting point and resource place.
89. Having access to a complete online birth course available 24/7 until you birth your baby so you can review or read what you’ve missed as much as you need to (not just a “work book”).  The reality that you might need to pee when I’m talking about delayed cord clamping is foreseeable.  You may need to miss a week.  You may not be interested in the information at that time and later something might click.  You may have been distracted by the sunlight out the window.  Reality happens…  You should have access to the information for further research when it isn’t crammed into 10 weeks of study.
90. Having the ability to go off track to answer your specific questions and concerns, even if all the topics aren’t covered.  Your emotions are mostly what influence you right now – and we want those calm and trusting.
91. Working on being calm and trusting of your body, your baby, and your birth space.
92. Learning why birth matters for the baby, mom, and society.
93. Learning why breastfeeding matters for the baby, mom, and society.
94. Learning why a culture that spends more on health care than the rest of the world can have such ridiculous mortality and morbidity rates.
95. Learning how a hospital course sets you up for “What to expect in the hospital” vs. “Here are your options.
96. Learning how birth photos and videos can encourage you to be excited for birth.
97. Learning how birth photos and videos may give you an unrealistic expectation for your specific birth and how learning about what is beyond those beautiful photos and the choices that couple made really completed their birth story.
98. Learning how your brain rewrites your birth story based on the words you say when you recall it.
99. Receiving post-birth counseling.
100. Learning to know your options, choose the best you can, and be at peace with YOUR birth.
101. Learning why I could fill a book of reasons for you to take a childbirth class perinatal series.