Pregnancy and Birth in Germany

You just realised that you have two lines on that pregnancy test…. That is great news!! I am sure you are happy but at the same time you are freaking out!! Trust me, I know this feeling!! A cocktail of elation, anxiety, giddiness and trepidation is what you are feeling. It does not matter whether the two lines were planned or unplanned. All women go through the same feelings when they are first confronted with those two lines, but hey when life gives you lemons….

Different cultures have different social and regulatory norms to deal with pregnancy and not one culture is superior to the other. All have their advantages and disadvantages. But let me tell you one thing, if you are in Germany, then the this society provides a really strong support system to pregnant women. Germany offers really good insurance coverage for pregnant women and also one of the world’s best countries for child care. It is hard to believe for adults since the medical system for adults has a lot of shortcomings. But trust me, when it comes to pre- and post-natal care, you could not have asked for a better system. 

In this article, I am compiling a few important things that you should know about pregnancy and the process of giving birth in Germany as an expat. I am from India and I gave birth in Germany and now I am a mother to a wonderful 18 month old boy. I hope this article helps you understand the system better and make you aware of things and resources that are easily available to you. Ladies, especially the pregnant ones, please do not freak out if you have missed out on doing some things on my list. The last thing you need to do is worry. The German system really cares about you all and especially the kids, so in the end everything will fall into place.

I will start off by listing some things that you should do as soon as you know that you are pregnant.

1. Finding a Frauenarzt (Gynaecologist) – Yaay! Congratulations on getting that second blue line on the pregnancy test! Don’t freak out, you will get a lot of help here in Germany. Firstly, you will have to find a gynaecologist (in case you do not already have one). You can start calling gynaecologists in your city and ask them if they have the capacity to take you as a patient. In case you are unable to find one, don’t worry you should call your insurance and they have to assign you a gynaecologist as soon as possible. In case you already have a gynaecologist, please schedule an appointment with them as soon as possible. During the first appointment, there will be an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy. Once the pregnancy is confirmed they will provide you a mutter pass (maternity pass) which is an important document where they record and monitor all details of your pregnancy and it is recommended to carry it everywhere with you.
2. Getting a Bescheinugung (Receipt) – In the next step you should take a “Bescheinigung” from your Frauenarzt stating your due date. You need to send this to your insurance and also to your employer if you are working. I would recommend sending this to your employer only after the end of the first trimester. But be sure to check the contractual conditions in your company before making a decision.
3. Finding a Hebamme (Midwife) – Then comes a very important task of finding a Hebamme. Here is a website where you can look for Hebammes – https://www.hebammensuche.de. You will have to enter your pin code (Postleitzahl – PLZ) and the due date and the website will show you details of available Hebammes around your due time. It is better to start looking for a Hebamme immediately after your first ultrasound. Sometimes it might be hard to find a Hebamme. Especially if you are expecting a baby during summer holidays or during Christmas holidays. My baby boy was born in August and I was lucky to find just ONE Hebamme who was available during that time. 
4. Ultrasounds and tests – Be ready to pay for extra ultrasounds if required. Each ultrasound costs around 30-35 euros. If you have a normal pregnancy your insurance pays for three ultrasounds, one in each trimester. It is recommended to get a (NT-messung/NIPT test) in your 12th week of pregnancy just to rule out any chromosomal defects in the foetus. This is optional but since 2022 it is covered by the insurance. Another important test is a detailed ultrasound (organ screening) that is performed in the 20-24th week of pregnancy and is covered by insurance. It is important to perform this to confirm normal growth and development of your baby.
5. Geburtsvorbereitungskurs (Child Birth Preparation course) – Find and register for a “Geburtsvorbereitungkurs”. Your Hebamme will generally offer this course. However, in a situation that she cannot offer you this course, you can register for one offered by your hospital or you can look for one online. I would suggest that you take this course in your third trimester (around 30th week of your pregnancy) as you will forget a lot of things if you take it earlier. Most of the times the insurance pays for this course. However in certain cases you might have to pay for the course from your pocket. I attended an online course in English as I was pregnant during Corona times and here is the link for the same (https://www.pantakea.de/2013/09/23/geburtsvorbereitung-im-pantakea-vorfreude-auf-ein-kleines-abenteuer//). It was very informative and we liked it.
6. Finalising the hospital – In some parts of Germany, it is important to look for a hospital very early in your pregnancy. For example, in Munich you need to start your hospital search as soon as you know that you are pregnant. Whereas, in Brühl a small town in NRW, you don’t have to book it in advance. I recommend you to talk to your Frauenarzt or Hebamme about the way you want to give birth and which hospitals/birthing centres offer it. A good time to contact different hospitals is around 24th – 26th week of your pregnancy. There is also a possibility to go and visit the hospital and the birthing ward. I personally think that it is important to visit the hospital and see if you feel comfortable talking to the staff and also if you like the environment. If you have a good feeling then go for it… after all your little bundle of joy will enter this world in that hospital 😀 
7. Bureaucratic stuff – I would suggest to check with your company/institute if they provide support by offering free access to family consultancy services. I had access to pme Familienservice (https://www.familienservice.de/). I found the staff to be very friendly and they provided information about Elternzeit (Parental leave), Elterngeld (Parental benefits), Kindergeld (Child care benefits) and finding Kitas (daycare). I strongly suggest talking to someone regarding these topics as it will give you a clear picture of the childcare system in Germany. I would also suggest that you print and fill out all forms required for applying for Elternzeit (provided by your employer), Elterngeld (https://familienportal.de/familienportal/familienleistungen/elterngeld), and Kindergeld (https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/familie-und-kinder/infos-rund-um-kindergeld/kindergeld-anspruch-hoehe-dauer) before your due date. Generally, except for the date of birth and a few other things you can fill out all other necessary information. Commonly, you need to discuss and tell your employer your plans for Elternzeit. You are so busy once the baby has arrived that it is always better to be prepared with the bureaucratic stuff.
8. Trying to clarify Mutterschuzt/Mutterschaftgeld (Maternity Leave/ Maternity Benefits) – Mutterschutz is different from Elternzeit (Parental leave). When you are working and if you get pregnant you will have the right to stop working 6 weeks before the expected due date and this maternity leave will continue for 8 weeks after the birth of your child. After birth, you will be on Elternzeit but you will get maternity benefit which is paid by the statutory health insurance (Mutterschaftsgeld), and the employer (Arbeitgeberzuschuss) during the statutory period of maternity leave. Generally, taken together, these benefits are equal to the average earnings during the last three months before birth. In special cases, for example multiple or premature births, mothers will receive the Mutterschaftgeld for 12 weeks after the birth. For normal births, you will start receiving Elterngeld after your maternity leave of 8 weeks after birth is over. Link for Mutterschutz (https://familienportal.de/familienportal/familienleistungen/mutterschutz)

Here I am listing some important things to do once your baby is born.

1. Geburtsurkunde (Birth certificate) – As soon as any baby is born the state needs to be informed, this is called Gerburtsanzeige (birth announcement). For the birth of my son this was done by the hospital in which he was born. The hospital requested us these documents; passports, visas, birth certificates translated in german and marriage certificate to do the Geburtsanzeige. You need to talk to the hospital/birthing centre and understand how the birth registration process will work for you and what documents you will need. For getting the Geburtsurkunde (birth certificates), I had to call the “Standesamt” and take an appointment for getting the birth certificate. We as parents and our newborn child had to be at the Standesamt in person with our marriage certificate, passports, visas/Niederlassungserlaubnis and a filled form. Recently our city started offering online registration of birth. They will immediately give you three copies of your child’s birth certificate – one is for your documentation, one needs to be sent to the health insurance and one is for applying for Elterngeld.
2. Elterzeit/Elterngeld (Parental Leave/Parental Benefits) – As soon as you get the Gerburtsurkunde (birth certificate), complete the application forms for Elternzeit, Elterngeld and Kindergled and post them to the respective offices. In order to plan your finances better, it is important to know that the minimum and maximum sum that you will receive is 300 Euros and 1800 Euros. Generally, the Elterngeld that you will receive is 65% of your net salary. Something important to keep in mind is that even if the 65% of your salary is above 1800 Euros you can receive a maximum amount of 1800 Euros. Here is the link where you can calculate Elterngeld (https://familienportal.de/familienportal/meta/egr)
3. Rückbildung (Pelvic floor strengthening course) – I highly recommend you to take this course as it will help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and is fully covered by the insurance. And the cool part about this course is that you can train along with your baby and you don’t have to find a baby-sitter or a nanny while you attend this course. The exercises are designed in such a way that you can take your kid with you to the course or if you are doing it online you can do it along with your baby. Sometimes your Hebamme might offer you a course and sometimes you have to look for one online. It is recommended to do a course only when your feel ready and preferably not in the first 12 weeks (Wochenbett time) after birth.
4. Finding a Kinderarzt (Paediatrician) – Start calling Kinderarzt in your city town and ask if they can take your child as a patient. Also sometimes you can have an emergency on a weekend or on holidays; for such difficult times remember to already look for a Kinderklinik (Childers/Paediatric hospital) that you can reach easily and which is good. In Germany, there will be one Kinderarzt and Apotheke (Pharmacy) that is open on weekends and holidays. You can find the details on the internet. And always remember this important number “116117” where you can call anytime incase you have and any medical emergency.
5. Citizenship – Depending on how long you have been residing in Germany you can decide if you want your child to take the German citizenship. Here is the link where you can find out information about the eligibility of child for getting a German citizenship (https://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/migration/obligation-one-citizenship/obligation-one-citizenship-node.html).
6. Applying for a Kita (Day care) – Ideally you should start finding out everything about availability of Kita (day care) in you city in the last trimester of your pregnancy. In most cities it is hard to find a Kita or a Tagesmutter. Each city has a centralised Kita allocation system. You need to register via the Kita Navigator and provide five different Kitas that are close to your house. I have heard form several parents that calling different Ktias helps. In my city we registered by the end of the calendar year that my son was born in and then they informed us if we were allocated a Kita by June/July. The Kita’s generally take new kids in August.

Disclaimer – I am just sharing my experience with you and not implying that you should follow everything that is stated in this blog. I believe each pregnancy is very different and each state and city in Germany might have something different to offer and it is important to do a little bit of research yourself. 😀

Handy links:

Hebamme – https://www.hebammensuche.de

Mutterschutz – https://familienportal.de/familienportal/familienleistungen/mutterschutz

Elternzeit – https://familienportal.de/familienportal/familienleistungen/elterngeld

Kindergeld – https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/familie-und-kinder/infos-rund-um-kindergeld/kindergeld-anspruch-hoehe-dauer

Elterngeld Rechner – https://familienportal.de/familienportal/meta/egr

Citizenship – https://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/migration/obligation-one-citizenship/obligation-one-citizenship-node.html