Congrats! You just found out you’re having a baby in Germany 🥳
I’m sure there are a million things going through your head right now. You might also think that you have all the time in the world (or at least the next 9 months 😉) to prepare.
But think again! As good as the public system is in Germany, you need to be quick if you want to secure access to some of the services you are entitled to.
Here’s a list of things to consider and decisions to make:
1. Think about where and how you’d like to have your baby
I know this is a very big ask and something that you might want to discuss as a couple as the pregnancy progresses. But, there’s a few scenarios where you need to decide quite quickly:
If you’d like a Beleghebamme or attending midwife (basically a personal midwife that attends your birth at the hospital they are affiliated with) you need to contact them right away.
If you want to give birth at a birthing center you should register for a spot as early as you can.
Likewise, if you want to have a home birth, find a home birth midwife to attend the birth as soon as possible.
Even if you “just” want a “normal” midwife fore the pre- and/or post-natal care, you also want to get on this very quickly!
Maybe you can spot a pattern 🤪
One of the first major challenges during early pregnancy will be securing a midwife – if you want one. If so, you should go about finding one as soon as you have the positive pregnancy test in your hand.
Yes, even if this is just week 4 or 5 or 6 for you – trust me, you want to do this as quickly as you possibly can as spots are taken super quickly!
You can find out more about how midwives work and how to find one in Germany: https://www.kietzee.com/blog/midwife
Here’s also a detailed article on how to decide where to give birth: https://www.kietzee.com/blog/birth-options-germany
Finally, if you're interested in a home birth or birthing center, check out this article: https://www.kietzee.com/blog/home-birth-birthing-center-comparison-germany
2. Register for your hospital of choice
If you (like most couples) are opting for a hospital birth, you will want to learn more about the hospitals near you and when you need to register for birth. Pre-registration deadlines for hospitals can vary greatly from week 12 to week 38.
We have compiled detailed lists of hospitals for many cities in Germany:
3. Who to inform?
You might be wondering who you need to inform about your pregnancy – your employer? Your health insurance? Your gynecologist?
Yes, you will want to book an appointment with your gynecologist (OBGYN) or midwife to confirm the pregnancy.
You will also want to make your OBGYN appointment for the first ultrasound during pregnancy, which will take place in weeks 9-12. Learn more about the main medical appointments during pregnancy in Germany.
Meanwhile, you are not legally obligated to inform either your employer or your health insurance, but both is recommend if you want to take advantage of the benefits during pregnancy. These include items such as maternity protection in the workplace, health courses and (monetary) maternity benefits.
Here's how and when to tell your employer about your pregnancy.
However, these announcements can wait and you should definitely focus on the above two action items first.
All the best and congrats again!
