The index
What to do, and when
Every guide and checklist, laid along the journey. Find where you are, and read just what you need for now.
Jump to where you are
You have just found out
A positive test, your first appointments, and the one urgent thing to start now.
Your Hebamme
Finding and working with your midwife. Start this early.
The German Maternity System
How the system works, your rights, and the paperwork.
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.
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.
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.
Through your pregnancy
Your care team, your appointments, and the choices taking shape.
Your Hebamme
Finding and working with your midwife. Start this early.
The German Maternity System
How the system works, your rights, and the paperwork.
Where to Give Birth
Hospital, birth house, or home, and how each one works.
The Step-by-Step Guide
The whole journey in order, appointment by appointment.
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.
What your insurance covers
Midwife care, scans, classes, and the recovery course: what the Krankenkasse pays for, and what you don't.
If you are not married
Vaterschaftsanerkennung and Sorgeerklärung: acknowledging fatherhood and shared custody, ideally before the birth.
Working while pregnant
Your rights at work: maternity protection, when to apply for leave, being signed off, and the job that stays 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As the birth comes closer
Where to give birth, what to ask, and what to pack.
Where to Give Birth
Hospital, birth house, or home, and how each one works.
When Birth Changes Course
A caesarean, a breech baby, or birth after a caesarean (VBAC): what each conversation involves, and the choices that stay yours.
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.
Before & after baby: the checklists
Tick-lists for the admin before the birth, what to pack, and what to register after.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The birth itself
On the day, your rights in the room, and when baby takes their time.
After the birth
The Wochenbett, registering your baby, and your own recovery.
The Wochenbett
Recovery in the weeks after the birth, and how to prepare.
Family Life in Germany: The First Year
The whole first year, gathered: midwife care and Rückbildung, the paperwork, crying and feeding, osteopathy, breastfeeding groups, and finding other mothers.
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.
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.
Benefits and entitlements
Mutterschutz pay, Elterngeld, and Kindergeld, with the figures and the deadlines that matter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Prefer to be walked through it all in order, in one place? The whole journey, numbered from your positive test to the weeks after, lives on the Library page.