I'm an American who gave birth to my 3 kids in Germany. I had a postpartum midwife covered by insurance, and a water birth in the hospital.
I moved from the US to Germany over a decade ago and had all three of my children here.
I didn't know who was attending any of my births.
My insurance not only covered everything related to the birth, but also prenatal classes.
I moved to Germany over a decade ago from the United States and have had all of my three children here.
From pregnancy to birth to postpartum, there are many significant differences between the countries when it comes to having a baby. Here is what my experiences in Germany were like.
I had a personal prenatal and postpartum midwife
In Germany, your health insurance covers the costs of a professional "hebamme" or midwife who can carry out many of your prenatal exams that don't involve an ultrasound. They can also sometimes do home visits during pregnancy as well.
Midwives in Germany undergo extensive training and also lead most births, whether at a hospital, birth center, or home birth. The midwife also provides a number of postpartum house calls, something I personally found invaluable.
Our midwives helped us with anything from breastfeeding issues to how to bathe a baby, and weighed the baby every visit to make sure he was growing well.
Besides all the pregnancy and postpartum care, midwives can also give you a crash course about starting solids, and insurance will cover breastfeeding advice from your midwife until the baby weans.
I had so many pain relief options
At both hospitals and birth centers, Germany offers quite an array of pain relief options. I gave birth at three different hospitals in Germany.
When it comes to medicated pain relief options, German hospitals generally can provide epidurals, pethidine injections, and paracetamol with or without codeine. Some hospitals also offer laughing gas as an option.
Waterbirth is a very common option in Germany, with a lot of hospitals in the country offering waterbirth as a possibility. I got to experience this personally with my middle child, which was a really nice experience.
Other alternative forms of pain relief common in Germany that aren't necessarily offered in many other countries include aromatherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, sterile water injections, and heating packs.
I tried them all, of course.
I didn't know who was attending any of my births
Unlike in the United States, the vast majority of births in Germany are attended by midwives or OB-GYNs who happen to be on duty at the time, not by your personal OB-GYN. Instead, you generally have an OB-GYN throughout your pregnancy and see them for your postpartum checkup. When you actually go into labor, whoever happens to be working at the hospital at the time will be there at your birth, and you likely will have never met them before.
There are some exceptions: if you have a homebirth, your midwife and her backup will get to know you prior to the birth. Also, if you opt for a birth center, there is a team of midwives there whom you get to know in advance throughout your pregnancy, although it's still a matter of chance which ones will be on duty for your labor.
My insurance covered prenatal and postpartum classes
Something really helpful for expecting parents in Germany is the fact that many prenatal and postpartum classes are covered partially or fully by health insurance.
I got to do a birth preparation multi-session class when expecting my first son, which was mostly covered by insurance, with a special session for partners on the last evening. My insurance also covered part of the costs of a prenatal yoga course, as it fell under the category of "preventive care."
Last but not least, I loved that my insurance covered most of the costs for a postpartum pelvic floor exercise course called "ruckbildungskurs." The emphasis on preventive care for pregnancy and birth here is helpful in many ways, from learning useful exercises to meeting fellow expectant parents.
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