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Print one A4 sheet, portrait, on one side only, with standard or minimum margins and scaling set to 100% (not fit-to-page). Then make the two folds in the key below and you have an A6 booklet.

This is a fold-and-print booklet. To print and fold it, open this page on a computer. You can read the whole thing here in the meantime.

Booklet 2 of 3

What to expect at the birth

Booklet 2 of 3. How birth usually goes in Germany, and how to stay part of it. Keep it in your Mutterpass.

In the room

  • A midwife (Hebamme) attends the birth and is your main hands-on support; doctors step in for medical decisions. In a hospital it may be a different shift midwife than the one who booked you in.
  • You can move, eat, and drink, and choose your position. Monitoring (CTG) and examinations are offered, not required.
  • Your partner or doula can stay with you throughout, including a caesarean (Kaiserschnitt).

Comfort and pain

  • Support ranges from warm water and movement to gas (Lachgas) and an epidural (PDA). You can ask what is available here.
  • When all is well, unhurried skin-to-skin time comes first, and feeding support (Stillberatung) is there for you.

If things change

  • Birth rarely follows the plan exactly. It may slow, gather intensity, or take a turn you did not expect. That is often part of it, not a sign something is wrong. The next two pages hold the words to stay part of the decisions.
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Your voice in the birth space

Words you can use out loud

I don't want that.
“Ich möchte das nicht.”
I would like to think about that.
“Ich möchte darüber nachdenken.”
Please give us ten more minutes.
“Bitte geben Sie uns zehn Minuten.”
Please explain that in simple words.
“Können Sie mir das bitte in einfachen Worten erklären?”
I would like to speak with my partner / midwife / doula first.
“Ich möchte zuerst mit meinem Partner, meiner Hebamme oder meiner Doula sprechen.”
I am changing my mind.
“Ich habe es mir anders überlegt.”
I do not consent to this.
“Ich stimme dem nicht zu.”

BRAIN · five questions before you agree

If something is suggested and you are not sure, run through these in your head first. They are to think through, not to say out loud.

B
Benefits. What are the benefits of doing this now?
R
Risks. What are the risks for me and my baby?
A
Alternatives. What else could we try first?
I
Intuition. What is my body telling me?
N
Nothing. What happens if we wait and do nothing for now?
2

Your voice in the birth space · continued

Whatever the setting

These stay true wherever you give birth. You can ask for any of them at any time.

My support person can stay with me the whole time.
Meine Begleitperson darf die ganze Zeit bei mir bleiben.
Please explain this to me in a language I understand.
Bitte erklären Sie mir das in einer Sprache, die ich verstehe.
I may move freely and change position.
Ich darf mich frei bewegen und meine Position wechseln.
I can ask who is in the room, and ask someone to step out.
Ich kann fragen, wer im Raum ist, und bitten, dass jemand hinausgeht.
I can pause or decline any examination.
Ich kann jede Untersuchung unterbrechen oder ablehnen.
I may read my Mutterpass and ask what is being noted in it.
Ich darf meinen Mutterpass lesen und fragen, was darin notiert wird.

When things change

Can you help me understand what is changing?
“Können Sie mir helfen zu verstehen, was sich gerade ändert?”
Can we take a moment together before we decide?
“Können wir kurz gemeinsam innehalten, bevor wir entscheiden?”
How are my baby and I doing right now?
“Wie geht es meinem Baby und mir gerade?”
If we are both well, may we take a little more time?
“Wenn es uns beiden gut geht, können wir uns noch etwas Zeit nehmen?”
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The words you will hear · at the birth

The birth itself

WehenContractions.
BlasensprungYour waters breaking.
FruchtwasserAmniotic fluid.
MuttermundCervix (and how far it has opened).
KreißsaalLabour and delivery ward.
GeburtsplanBirth plan.
CTGThe monitor that traces baby's heartbeat and your contractions.
EinleitungInduction of labour.
WehentropfA drip to start or strengthen contractions.
PDAEpidural (Periduralanästhesie).
PresswehenThe pushing contractions of second stage.
DammschnittEpisiotomy, a small cut to the perineum.
DammrissA perineal tear.
SaugglockeVentouse / vacuum-assisted birth.
KaiserschnittCaesarean section.
Steißlage / BeckenendlageBreech position.
Plazenta / MutterkuchenPlacenta, delivered after the baby.
NabelschnurUmbilical cord.
EröffnungsphaseThe first stage, as the cervix opens.
AustreibungsphaseThe second stage, when you push.
WassergeburtWater birth.
LachgasGas (nitrous oxide) for pain relief.
NotkaiserschnittAn unplanned, urgent caesarean.
FrühgeburtA birth before 37 weeks.
ÜbertragungGoing past your due date.
birthandmother.comhello@birthandmother.comSeptember 2026
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