A pregnant woman at a routine maternity appointment

The words you will hearThe German birth glossary,in plain English

Why it's here

So you always knowthe word you need

At an appointment or in the birth room, the German comes fast, and the words are rarely the ones you learned in a language class. This glossary gathers the terms you are most likely to hear through pregnancy, birth, and the weeks after, and in the insurance, work and paperwork around them, each explained in plain English.

Search by the German word or the English meaning, or narrow to one part of the journey. When you would rather carry it with you, the words you need most fold into the pocket booklets for your Mutterpass.

125 words

Pregnancy & your care

Hebamme: Midwife. Attends every birth by law, and can do all of your prenatal care except scans.
Frauenarzt / Frauenärztin: Gynaecologist. Confirms the pregnancy and performs the ultrasounds.
Mutterpass: Your maternity record booklet. Carry it everywhere.
Vorsorgeuntersuchung: Routine prenatal check-up.
Ultraschall: Ultrasound scan.
Geburtsvorbereitungskurs: Antenatal / birth preparation course.
Beleghebamme: A midwife you book privately to attend your hospital birth.
Geburtstermin (ET): Due date (errechneter Termin).
Anmeldegespräch / Geburtsanmeldung: Registration appointment at your chosen hospital, where your details and preferences go on file.
Infoabend: Information evening at a hospital or birth house, to see the rooms and ask questions.
Kreißsaalführung: Guided tour of the labour ward.
Krankenhaus / Klinik: Hospital.
Geburtsklinik: A hospital where you can give birth. Formally, also the name of the basic tier of maternity unit (Level 4).
Perinatalzentrum: Perinatal centre: a hospital with specialised newborn care on site (Level 1 or Level 2).
Qualitätsbericht: Quality report. Every hospital publishes one, and you are entitled to see it.
Mutterschafts-Richtlinien: Maternity guidelines: the national schedule of antenatal care, all paid for by your insurer.
Familienzimmer: Family room on the ward, so a partner can stay the night. Charged separately by the hospital.

The birth itself

Wehen: Contractions.
Blasensprung: Your waters breaking.
Fruchtwasser: Amniotic fluid.
Muttermund: Cervix (and how far it has opened).
Kreißsaal: Labour and delivery ward.
Geburtshaus: Birth house, a home-like midwife-led setting.
Hausgeburt: Home birth.
Geburtsplan: Birth preferences (literally, birth plan).
CTG: The monitor that traces baby's heartbeat and your contractions.
Einleitung: Induction of labour.
Wehentropf: A drip to start or strengthen contractions.
PDA: Epidural (Periduralanästhesie).
Presswehen: The pushing contractions of second stage.
Dammschnitt: Episiotomy, a small cut to the perineum.
Dammriss: A perineal tear.
Saugglocke: Ventouse / vacuum-assisted birth.
Kaiserschnitt: Caesarean section.
Steißlage / Beckenendlage: Breech position.
Plazenta / Mutterkuchen: Placenta, delivered after the baby.
Nabelschnur: Umbilical cord.
Terminüberschreitung: Going past your due date.
Aufnahme: Hospital admission.
Ambulante Geburt: Outpatient birth: going home soon after giving birth in hospital, rather than staying on the ward.
Verlegung: Transfer of care, for example from a birth house or home to a hospital.
Informierte Einwilligung: Informed consent: an explanation of what is proposed, why, and what else could be done, before you decide.
Lachgas: Gas (nitrous oxide). You hold the mask yourself. Not every birth place offers it.
Geplanter Kaiserschnitt: Planned caesarean, arranged ahead of time.
Kaisergeburt: A gentler, family-centred caesarean, slower paced, where you see your baby sooner.

Midwives & who does what

Hebammenhilfe: Midwifery care, including the care after the birth you receive wherever you give birth.
Klinikhebamme / Stationshebamme: Hospital midwife on shift. You usually meet them on the day.
Dienst-Beleghebammen: Contracted midwives who cover a hospital ward in shifts, so you are cared for by whoever is on.
Belegvertrag: A midwife's contract with a hospital, which lets them attend births there.
Begleithebamme: Continuity-of-care midwife: a freelance midwife who knows you through pregnancy and comes with you for the birth.
Hausgeburtshebamme: Home-birth midwife: an independent midwife who cares for you in pregnancy, at the birth at home and afterwards.
Geburtshaushebamme: Birth house midwife: works out of a birth house, caring for you in pregnancy, at the birth and in the weeks after.
Nachsorgehebamme: Postpartum midwife who visits you at home after the birth: recovery, feeding and how you are doing.
Familienhebamme: Family midwife: a midwife with an extra qualification, for families who need longer support after the birth.
Rufbereitschaft: On call: a midwife being available for your birth around your due date.
Hebammenvermittlung / Hebammenzentrale: Midwife matching service, run in many regions and by some insurers.
Hausarzt / Hausärztin: GP (family doctor).
Stillberaterin: Lactation consultant.
Mütterpflegerin: Postpartum and family carer: practical and emotional help at home, such as cooking, shopping and older siblings.

The weeks after (Wochenbett)

Wochenbett: The postpartum recovery period.
Wochenfluss: Postpartum bleeding (lochia).
Nachsorge: Postpartum midwife care at home.
Nachuntersuchung: Six-week postnatal check-up.
Rückbildungskurs: Postnatal recovery course.
Stillen: Breastfeeding.
Stillberatung: Breastfeeding consultation.
Kolostrum / Vormilch: Colostrum, the rich first milk.
Haushaltshilfe: Home help, sometimes covered by insurance.
Wochenbettbetreuerin: Postpartum doula or caregiver.
Kinderarzt / Kinderärztin: Paediatrician.
Wochenbettstation: Postnatal ward, where you stay after a hospital birth.
Milcheinschuss: Your milk coming in.
Sitzbad: Sitz bath.
Beckenboden: Pelvic floor.
Nachbesprechung: Birth debrief: going back over what happened with your hospital team.

Your baby's health & checks

Gelbes Heft / Kinderuntersuchungsheft: The yellow booklet that records your child's U checks. It stays with your child, not the practice.
Impfpass: Vaccination record, a separate booklet.
Impfungen: Vaccinations.
Beikost: Starting solids (weaning).
Schreiambulanz: Clinic for help with crying, sleep and feeding.

Insurance & money

Krankenkasse: Your health insurer.
Familienversicherung: Family insurance: statutory cover at no cost for your child through a parent's policy, once your baby is registered.
IGeL-Leistung: Individual health service: an extra outside the standard cover, which you pay for yourself.
Kostenübernahme: Agreement to cover a cost (from your insurer).
Rufbereitschaftspauschale: A midwife's on-call fee, outside standard statutory cover. Some insurers reimburse part of it.
Bonusprogramm: Bonus programme: many insurers give points or money back for pregnancy check-ups and courses.

Work & leave

Mutterschaftsgeld: Maternity pay during the protected period around the birth, from your health insurer.
Arbeitgeberzuschuss: Your employer's top-up to maternity pay, up to your average net salary.
Mutterschutzbescheinigung: Maternity protection certificate: the due-date certificate from your gynaecologist or midwife, sent to your insurer for maternity pay.
Beschäftigungsverbot: Employment ban: being signed off work in pregnancy on full pay, not counted as sick leave.
Krankschreibung: Sick note: being signed off sick by a doctor, on sick pay.
Gefährdungsbeurteilung: Workplace risk assessment of your role in pregnancy. It is your employer's duty.
Kündigungsschutz: Protection from dismissal, from the day you are pregnant.
Betriebsrat: Works council: elected staff representatives, where your workplace has one.

Paperwork & benefits

Mutterschutz: Legal maternity protection period around the birth.
Elternzeit: Parental leave (up to three years).
Elterngeld: Parental benefit (paid leave).
Kindergeld: Monthly child benefit.
Standesamt: Registry office, where you register the birth.
Geburtsurkunde: Birth certificate.
U-Untersuchung: Routine paediatric check-up (U1 to U9).
GKV / PKV: Statutory / private health insurance.
Basis-Elterngeld: Basic parental allowance: more per month, for fewer months than ElterngeldPlus.
ElterngeldPlus: Extended parental allowance: less per month, for roughly twice as long.
Kinderzuschlag: Child supplement: an addition to Kindergeld for families on a modest income.
Wohngeld: Housing benefit: a contribution to rent, applied for at your local council.
Unterhaltsvorschuss: Advance maintenance, for a parent raising a child alone when the other parent does not pay maintenance.
Kinderfreibetrag: Child allowance on your tax, handled by the tax office.
Steuer-ID: Tax ID number. Your baby's arrives by post after the birth is registered.
Vaterschaftsanerkennung: Acknowledgement of fatherhood, for parents who are not married. It puts the father on the birth certificate.
Sorgeerklärung: Joint custody declaration, the separate step that gives both unmarried parents legal custody.
Widerspruch: Formal appeal against a refusal, for example from your insurer.
Beratungsschein: Certificate of attendance from pregnancy conflict counselling.

The offices

Bürgeramt / Einwohnermeldeamt: Citizens' office, where addresses are registered.
Jugendamt: Youth welfare office. Takes the acknowledgement of fatherhood and joint custody declaration, at no cost.
Elterngeldstelle: Parental allowance office, where you claim Elterngeld.
Familienkasse: Family benefits office, which pays Kindergeld.
Finanzamt: Tax office.
Ausländerbehörde: Foreigners' authority, the office for residence status.

Support & groups

Stillgruppe: Breastfeeding group.
PEKiP: Parent-and-baby class.
Krabbelgruppe: Baby-and-parent playgroup.
Familienzentrum: Family centre. Most towns have one, and they know the local offices.
Frühe Hilfen: Early Help: local family support networks.
Schwangerschaftskonfliktberatung: Pregnancy conflict counselling: confidential, open-ended and at no cost.

Take it with you

The same words,folded for your Mutterpass

The three pocket booklets carry this glossary stage by stage, alongside the bilingual phrases that keep your voice in the room. Print one A4 sheet on one side, fold it twice, and tuck it into your Mutterpass.