The Library
Pregnancy & birth in Germany,in English
Pregnancy, birth, and the weeks after in Germany, explained in English.
WelcomeYou arewelcome here
If you are pregnant in Germany and English is the language you find your way in most easily, this is the one page to start with. It gathers everything from your positive test to the weeks after birth. Prefer to read it straight through? Start with the whole journey.
This page is orientation, not medical advice. Your gynaecologist and midwife (Hebamme) lead your clinical care; what this gives you is a clear map of the German system, in your own language.
On this page
In depth
The comprehensive guides
Each of these is the A-to-Z reference for its part of the journey. Wander the path, or step straight to the one you need. Finding a midwife (Hebamme) is the one to start early.
Your compass for pregnancy and birth
The quick reference
Your compass to having a beautiful birth in Germany, wherever you are in your journey.
Clear, practical information gathered into one place, so you're not piecing things together or wondering what comes next. Less searching. Less second-guessing. More confidence in the road ahead.
Care &choices
Care, choices, and getting ready for the birth.
Where to give birth in Potsdam
The four Potsdam birth spaces side by side: births a year, care levels, registration, water birth, and pain relief.
Questions for your birth space
What to ask when you visit a hospital or birth house, so you leave knowing it is right for you.
Past your due date
What week 40 and beyond looks like, the monitoring, and the choices that are yours.
Find a midwife, anywhere in Germany (Ammely) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The national midwife search, run by the German midwives' association (Deutscher Hebammenverband). Search by your due date and postcode, wherever you live. Start this early.
The German Midwives' Association (Hebammenverband) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The national body for midwives, with a chapter in every region. What a midwife does, your right to her care, and how it is paid for.
Pregnancy and birth, explained (familienplanung.de) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The federal health-education portal: calm, ad-free guidance on pregnancy, preparing for birth, and the Wochenbett. In German, but thorough and trustworthy.
Keleya: birth prep on your phone (paid app) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
A German pregnancy and birth-prep app with week-by-week content and an English course. There is a fee, though many Krankenkassen reimburse it, so it is worth asking yours first.
Online birth classes in English (Kinderheldin) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
Video birth preparation and a midwife chat, in English, anywhere in Germany. Often free up to a year after birth through partnered Krankenkassen, so check yours first.
Healthinsurance
What your Krankenkasse covers, and how to claim it.
Home help (Haushaltshilfe)
When your insurer will pay for help in the home after birth, and the honest truth about how hard it can be to get.
What your insurance covers
Midwife care, scans, classes, and the recovery course: what the Krankenkasse pays for, and what you don't.
How health insurance works, in English (gesund.bund.de) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The Health Ministry's plain explainer of statutory and private cover, and how to join or switch. Reassuring news: funds cannot turn you away, and by law their benefits are about 95% the same.
Compare insurers, impartially (Krankenkassenliste) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The official list of every statutory fund and its extra contribution (Zusatzbeitrag), the one figure that really varies. No commission, no comparison-site spin. German only, so it pairs well with the English explainer above.
Authorities
The offices and paperwork, before and after the birth.
Before & after baby: the checklists
Tick-lists for the admin before the birth, what to pack, and what to register after.
If you are not married
Vaterschaftsanerkennung and Sorgeerklärung: acknowledging fatherhood and shared custody, ideally before the birth.
Registering your baby
The Standesamt, the birth certificate, and the order to do it all in, step by step.
Registering your baby: the federal guide (Familienportal) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The government family portal, available in English. The Standesamt, the birth certificate, the Steuer-ID, and a checklist in the order to do it all.
Finances
Maternity pay, parental allowance, and your rights at work.
Working while pregnant
Your rights at work: maternity protection, when to apply for leave, being signed off, and the job that stays yours.
Benefits and entitlements
Mutterschutz pay, Elterngeld, and Kindergeld, with the figures and the deadlines that matter.
Check what you can claim (Infotool Familie) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The government's own benefits checker: a few questions to see what your family is entitled to, from Elterngeld to Kindergeld. Plain-English overviews on the same portal.
Counselling &support
Free, confidential help across Germany, whatever you are facing.
After a loss
A gentle place to begin after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby: the care that is yours, and the people who understand.
Free pregnancy counselling near you (opens an outside site in a new tab)
One finder for every free, confidential pregnancy counselling centre in Germany: pro familia, Donum Vitae, Caritas, Diakonie, and AWO. Search by postcode.
Pregnant and worried? A helpline (0800 40 40 020) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
Free, confidential, around the clock, in English among nineteen languages. For any worry in pregnancy, including the path to a confidential birth.
Low or anxious after birth? You are not alone (opens an outside site in a new tab)
A national network for the hard feelings that can follow birth: low mood, anxiety, intrusive thoughts. Peer support and a directory of counsellors.
After a loss: companionship across Germany (opens an outside site in a new tab)
Support after miscarriage or stillbirth, with groups and contacts nationwide. There is no timeline for this, and you do not have to carry it alone.
Bereaved parents and siblings (VEID) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The national federation for grieving families, with regional support groups across Germany, grief seminars, and an online forum. In German.
English-speaking parent support (Afloat) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
A volunteer network for international parents in Germany: peer groups and a postpartum warmline, all in English.
If your baby cries and cries: help near you (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The national directory of calm, free clinics for crying, sleep, and feeding worries in the early weeks. Find one in your area.
A line for parents (0800 111 0550) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
Free, anonymous phone support for any parenting worry, from a national charity, for the days that feel like too much.
Independent patient and insurance guidance (UPD) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
Free, confidential guidance on your rights and insurance questions, from an independent foundation. Phone 0800 011 77 22.
Family life inGermany
The first year: caring for your baby, the check-ups, and finding your own feet again.
The well-baby checks (U-Untersuchungen)
Every U check-up explained, so you walk in knowing what happens and why.
Your baby's health, explained (kindergesundheit-info.de) (opens an outside site in a new tab)
The federal portal on caring for a newborn: feeding, sleep, the U check-ups, and development. Ad-free and trustworthy, in German.
To keep with you
The Printable Library
A little collection, gathered as a gift, to save and print and keep close: in your Mutterpass, your birth bag, or on the fridge. Open the door to browse them.
For review before launch (not linked publicly)show
Offering handouts (locked for launch, by email)
Reference cards (for the Mutterpass)
Printable guide summaries