Kim Winkleman

Kim Winkleman is a doula, mama, childbirth instructor, and all around lovely person. She’s been an awesome source of support leading up to the birth of our little man!
Her childbirth prep class met once a week in Berkeley for eight weeks, and was very comprehensive, covering everything a preggo mom (and partner) would need to know about pregnancy and labor. Kim used to teach Bradley Method classes, so she has an insane amount of information for parents-​to-​be who may want to shoot for natural childbirth. (I’m planning on getting an epidural myself, but wanted to learn the pain coping skills for natural birth since you gotta labor before you get the meds.)
Some of the things we covered in class include:
* good nutrition for healthy mama and baby
* exercises to get in-​shape for labor
* the stages of labor
* ways your partner can support you during labor
* pain coping techniques for natural childbirth
* pain medication options (though this isn’t her area of expertise)
* breastfeeding
* postpartum wellness
We also watched a bunch of homebirthing videos, which helped to mentally prepare us for the job ahead, and gave us a huge sense of appreciation as to the herculean effort that women go through to have babies. (I think I shed a little tear every time a baby was born.)
Kim has a great personality, and kept us on the edge of our seats for the duration of the class. The sessions were interactive, too — I liked that we could ask questions as they popped into our baby brains, and have them answered thoughtfully and mindfully.
I also appreciated that Kim has encouraged us to «get in touch anytime» with questions about our pregnancy or upcoming labor. She obviously loves what she does, and cares a lot about her «students.» Couldn’t recommend her more highly!

Kim knows her stuff. She’s got the Bradley Method down. In her class I actually felt like we were learning more than just the Bradley Method, since her experience with birthing has given her such a wide perspective. She was able to provide insight into other birthing approaches.
My favorite things about her class were the in-​class practice of relaxation exercises, the time spent focused on the «coaches”/partners of the mommies, and the chance to meet other pregnant couples in a small group.

Kim was organized, very approachable, experienced, and adaptable. She did an excellent job of taking the fear out of the pregnancy/​labor/​birth process, as well as arming the coaches with the knowledge to be the best possible advocate for mom. As a direct result of what we learned in her class, my wife had a 6-​hour, drug-​free labor! We would strongly recommend Kim to any parents-​to-​be.

We’re glad we signed up for Kim’s Bradley Method Class! We learned so much that we felt extremely comfortable and confident during our child’s birth. Kim has three kids so she’s also very «experienced» in birthing! Kim always kept the classes interesting with exercises, games, videos, etc. The class size was intimate and it was easy to share your experiences. A year after or so, Kim organized a class meet-​up. It was great to see all the parents with their new babies and hearing their birth stories.
Kim is passionate about being a birth educator and truly cares about each and every one of her students.
Taking Kim’s class was definitely one of the best decisions we made during our pregnancy!

Kim is a great teacher. She not only helped my husband and I feel totally prepared for every possible birth situation, she also was a great class facilitator. I got to know the other couples and enjoyed the mutual support environment.
She also was great at answering all my questions. She definitely helped me to feel calm and prepared for labor. I wasn’t sure at first if it was worth it to take a private birth class instead of the Kaiser-​sponsored class. After giving birth, I’m so grateful I took Kim’s class. Not only that, but her class is a great deal. For what you pay, you get an amazing wealth of information and support.