Family Life in Germany

The first weeks, and your midwife

One quiet gift of having a baby in Germany is that your midwife (Hebamme) does not disappear after the birth. Postnatal midwife care (Wochenbettbetreuung) is covered by your insurance, with home visits in the early days and further appointments through the first months for feeding and any worries.

Your midwife weighs and checks your baby, watches feeding, looks after your own healing, and is often the calmest, most practical voice in those first foggy weeks. If you did not arrange one before the birth, search Ammely or your regional Hebammenzentrale, and ask at your birth place.

Your own recovery

• A postnatal recovery course (Rückbildungskurs) is covered by your insurance and usually begins a couple of months after birth. It gently rebuilds the deep core and pelvic floor, and is often a soft first place to meet other mothers.
• Some women find bodywork helps in the first year. Osteopathy (Osteopathie) is widely offered, and a number of statutory insurers contribute to a few sessions a year. Ask your Krankenkasse what they cover.
• There is no prize for rushing. Move at the pace your body sets.

The paperwork, in order

• Register the birth at the registry office (Standesamt) to get the birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde). This is the document everything else needs, and many hospitals forward the paperwork for you.
• Your baby gets a tax ID (Steuer-ID) by post, and is added to your health insurance.
• Child benefit (Kindergeld) and parental allowance (Elterngeld) each have their own application. Elterngeld in particular rewards applying early.

The government's Family Portal (familienportal.de) has it all in English, including a benefits checker for what your family can claim.

Feeding, and the people who help

• Your midwife supports feeding as part of postnatal care, and can be your first call when something hurts or feels stuck.
• For trickier questions, a qualified lactation consultant (Stillberaterin, often IBCLC) offers dedicated help, sometimes at home.
• Many birth houses (Geburtshäuser) and family centres run drop-in breastfeeding groups (Stillgruppen). La Leche Liga also has groups and a helpline.

When your baby cries and cries

Some crying is part of every baby, and it can still be one of the hardest things to sit with, especially far from family. You are not doing it wrong, and you are allowed to find it hard.

If the crying feels relentless, or feeding and sleep have become a real worry, a crying clinic (Schreiambulanz) offers calm, practical help in the early months. The national directory at elternsein.info will find one near you.

If you ever feel at the end of your rope, the parents' line (Elterntelefon) on 0800 111 0550 is anonymous and at no charge. Putting the baby somewhere safe and stepping away for a minute is always allowed.

Finding other mothers

Raising a baby far from home can be lonely in a way few people warn you about. The single thing that helps most is other mothers, in the same season, close enough to meet. They are easier to find here than it first seems:

• Your Rückbildung course and the breastfeeding groups above are often where the first friendships start.
• Parent-and-baby groups (PEKiP, Eltern-Kind-Gruppen) at family centres and birth houses gather babies of a similar age week by week.
• For doing this in English, networks like Afloat connect international parents across Germany, with peer groups and a postpartum warmline.

A gentle note

This is orientation and signposting, not medical advice. Exactly what your insurance covers, and what is on offer near you, varies, so your midwife (Hebamme), your paediatrician (Kinderarzt), and your Krankenkasseare the people to confirm the specifics with. If anything about your baby's health worries you, contact your paediatrician or your nearest clinic.