Let me start by saying: there is no cookie-cutter pregnancy experience. Every pregnancy and labor story is unique. Even for parents of multiple children – no labor story is the same as the next. However, what can you expect as a foreigner giving birth abroad? What happens when you give birth in Germany?

Here, I walk you through the 4 trimesters (the 4th one being the post–partum phase) and what are some things you can expect:

First Trimester

Shortly after finding out you are expecting, you will want to start building your “healthcare team”. Your first stop will be your doctor’s office (Gynecologist). If you do not have a Gynecologist, you can always contact your general doctor or Hausarzt for a referral. Ideally, you will want to find someone in the area as you will be doing visits about once a month for the first few months. Later on those visits will become more frequent as you approach your due date.

The next person you will want to recruit for your “healthcare team” is your midwife or Hebamme. While this is not mandatory, having a midwife along with you on your journey through pregnancy and especially post-partum, will be a great support. Your midwife will be able to visit you at home, offer support, answer questions and connect you with other parents and community. This is one of the best resources the German healthcare system can offer you. Typically, your health insurance will cover the costs of the midwife anywhere from 4-6 months post-partum, depending on your insurance.

In addition, you are also building your baby’s own “healthcare team” which includes a Pediatrician or Kinderarzt. Similar to your own doctors, I would also recommend finding someone in the area. This will make a huge difference when you have to go for frequent visits during the first year of baby’s life.

The first trimester can be a tough one as you might be experiencing symptoms. This is a great time to rest as much as possible and take things slowly. The primary focus here should be on building your support team.

Second Trimester

In the second trimester, you hopefully you start to recover from any symptoms and have more energy to do things. For me, this was the trimester where I finally felt like myself again. This is a great time to start moving your body. Whether that is walking, prenatal yoga, stretching etc. Make time for movement – this will help you in the long run to help prepare your body for the physical demands of labor. I found it helpful to do some prenatal yoga videos on Youtube or go for long walks.

During this time you might also start exploring your birth options: hospitals, birth centers, or home birth. If choosing a hospital or birth center, you can typically attend information sessions to learn more and get a tour of the space. I would recommend doing this before you choose your birthing space.

You might also feel excited to get started with shopping for basic baby items! Check out my Minimalist Baby Shopping List for ideas.

Third Trimester

So far you have built your healthcare team, reflected on how you want your labor experience to look like and continue to visit your Gynecologist about once a month (the frequency by which you visit your doctor can change if you are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy). In the third trimester, you will start to finalize some last-minute things before labor.

Two things I focused on during this stage were 1) finding my parenthood community abroad in Germany and 2) signing up for birth prep courses. I utilized Facebook to find other international parents in Germany. This was a great way to connect with other families and birthing mothers in my area. They served as a great support system while sharing resources and tips to make the process less overwhelming.

Signing up for birth prep classes or Geburtsvorbereitenkurs and infant care courses or Säuglingspflegekurs, were the highlight of my third trimester and helped me feel confident and prepare for my birthing experience. Typically, family health centers or Familiengesundheitszentrum offer such courses.

Lastly, this is the time when you typically wrap up last-minute shopping or setting up baby furniture. Though in my experience, I found it more helpful to do these things during my second trimester when I had more energy.

Fourth Trimester

Congratulations! You made it through labor, Your baby is here and you are both healthy and well. You should now have your healthcare team in place and begin to schedule visits and appointments with your Gynecologist, Midwife, and Pediatrician.

For birthing mothers – you will have a check up with your midwife about 6 weeks post-partum to ensure you are healing well. For babies, they will need frequent appointments (called U-Check ups or U-Untersuchungen) which include U1-U9 examinations with their Pediatrician. The check up’s run during the different stages of a child’s development from newborn stage until the age of 12-14.

Other things you will be taking care of during this time are any paperwork including birth certificates, health insurance, and applying for passport(s). If your child will also hold other passports, you might be completing any declaration of birth abroad forms from your home country. Additional paperwork to complete at this time is applying for Child Benefit and Parent Benefit or Kindergeld and Elterngeld.

You will also start the application process for nursery schools or Kitas. In Frankfurt, the process for applying for nursery schools is via Kindernet. Warning: the process can be long and tedious when it comes to finding a spot for your child. My advice here is to start this process early, remain patient and be persistent.

There is so much to consider postpartum especially with the endless paperwork. I hope you also take some time to heal and practice healthy self-care rituals. This is also a great opportunity to find baby-parent courses to connect and meet other families.

As always, consult with your doctor and medical team to help you find the best options most suitable for your pregnancy and labor. I know this was a lot of information to digest. For an easy- printable version of this guide, check out my Ultimate Childbirth Abroad in Germany Checklistto help you get started on preparing for your journey into becoming a first-time parent abroad in Germany.

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