Your Hebamme
Midwifery care in Germany: the essentials, distilled.
What is a Hebamme?
The midwife (Hebamme) is, in my view, at the heart of maternity care in Germany. By law, a midwife attends every birth. Midwife care is available across pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum (Wochenbett); whether the same midwife covers all three depends on the arrangement (see below).
All of it is covered by statutory health insurance. Finding the right one early matters.
The types of Hebamme
| Type | Role |
|---|---|
| Vorsorgehebamme | Prenatal check-ups, no birth |
| Stationshebamme | Hospital midwife on shift |
| Beleghebamme | Contracted to a specific hospital |
| Begleithebamme | Continuity through pregnancy and birth |
| Hausgeburtshebamme | Home birth specialist |
| Geburtshaushebamme | Birth centre midwife |
| Nachsorgehebamme | Postpartum care only |
What your Krankenkasse pays for
- All prenatal check-ups (Vorsorge)
- Birth preparation class (Geburtsvorbereitungskurs)
- Attendance at your birth
- Daily home visits for 10 days postpartum
- Up to 16 further visits across 8 weeks
- Up to 8 additional visits for breastfeeding support
- Postnatal recovery course (Rückbildungskurs)
Visit counts reflect the GKV-Spitzenverband Hebammenvergütungsvereinbarung, verified April 2026. Confirm current terms with your Hebamme or Krankenkasse.
Private insurance (PKV): coverage varies by policy. Confirm in writing that midwife care and any on-call fee (Rufbereitschaftspauschale) are reimbursed before you contract a midwife.
How to find one
- Confirm your pregnancy. Get your Mutterpass.
- Search Ammely and Hebammensuche nationwide, plus any regional list (e.g. Hebammenliste Berlin).
- Contact 15 to 30 midwives; expect few replies.
- Ask your gynaecologist and Krankenkasse for recommendations.
- Register at your chosen hospital by weeks 30 to 34.
- Track everyone you contact, and when.
Questions to ask on first contact
- What care do you offer (prenatal, birth, postpartum, all)?
- Do you have availability around my due date?
- How many other clients in that window?
- Do you speak any English?
- How do I reach you outside of appointments?
- Is there an on-call fee?
- What does your postpartum care look like?
If you can't find one
Contact your Krankenkasse's Hebammenvermittlung and your regional Hebammenzentrale (in Berlin-Brandenburg, for example). Keep a written record of who you have contacted and when: it strengthens any case for alternative arrangements down the line.
I am not a midwife and do not replace one. What I can do is sit with you through the search itself, help you stay organised, and offer the continuous emotional and practical support that midwifery care alone often cannot stretch to.
Your rights
- Statutory right to midwifery care (§24d, §24f SGB V)
- No doctor's referral needed
- Your choice of midwife — change if it does not fit
- Informed consent before anything is done
- Right to care in a language you can understand