When I found out that I was expecting, I was easily distracted by the “obvious” things my husband and I needed to do in order to prepare for the birth of our child. Some of these “obvious” things for me meant, shopping for baby items, taking pre-natal classes, and going to my regular doctor’s visits.

While these things are important and helped me prepare for a smooth transition into parenting abroad for the first time in Germany, there are things that I learned now that I wish I knew to ask before. Below are my 10 most IAQs (Infrequently Asked Questions) when having children abroad in Germany that we should be asking more frequently:

1. What benefits are available for foreign families in Germany? Germany is filled with benefits for families, including foreigners raising children abroad. For a full breakdown, check out my latest post.
2. (If giving birth at a hospital or birth center) How do I choose which hospital or birth center to give birth at? When selecting which hospital or birth center to give birth at, there are many things to consider. For me, attending info sessions and touring my hospital options helped me select a place where I had a good “gut feeling” about it. Read more here for tips on how to gets started.
3. How can I find a midwife (die Hebamme)? I cannot say enough about how important our midwife (die Hebamme) was for our family during those first few months after my child was born. She taught so much about how to take care of our child and how I can heal post-partum from a C-section. Looking back, I could not have imagined getting through those initial first days as a first-time parent living abroad in Germany without her support. This is a valuable resource available to everyone. Start your search for your midwife as soon as you find out you are expecting.
4. When should I begin the search for a nursery school (die Kita)? The answer is: now. As soon as you find out you are expecting, start the search. If you are based in Frankfurt, get started with the registration via Kindernet. Every city has its own website and process, so this will vary place-to-place. Attend info sessions, visit the schools, connect with the administration, and be persistent.
5. What alternative options are available if I cannot find a spot in the Nursery School (die Kita)? The topic of finding a nursery school, kindergarten or Kita is a big one. Especially for working parents who feel the time pressure to get back to work soon. If you have to or want to return back to work and do not have a spot in a nursery school, explore options such as a Tagesmütter or Tagesvater (nanny). Unlike a private nanny, this service is also available at an affordable rate so more families can benefit from it. In Frankfurt, you can find a Tagesmütter or Tagesvater via Kindernet. Another creative idea I heard about (that I also considered myself before finding a spot at a nursery school for my daughter), is to find some other parents in your area and rotate looking after the children in order to allow all the parents to work. I personally considered doing this with other mothers in my area who I trust and have children around the same age as my daughter.
6. Are there any baby prep classes we should consider? My husband and I did a few pre-birth classes that were really helpful and allowed us to connect with other first-time parents in Frankfurt. Every city in Germany typically has a variety of Family Centers where you can sign up for labor prep and parenting classes. For example, in Frankfurt we have places such as the Familien GesundheitsZentrum, Mehr Generationen Haus or Internationale FamilienZentrum where you can find a lot of classes and consultations to support new families in Germany.
7. What costs during pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond does my Healthcare cover? Germany (in comparison to the U.S.) is really good about keeping costs low for birth. In my case, we have public health insurance and our insurance covered everything during labor and post-partum care (including the Midwife or die Hebamme, minus the pre-natal classes). The only extra thing we considered paying for was a private family room (das Familienzimmer) at the hospital (prices vary depending on the hospital). Our hospital priced family private rooms at 120 euros per day which would have to pay out of pocket as our public insurance did not cover this. Visit your health insurance website for more details on what is covered.
8. What does support and care look like for birthing mothers post-partum? For my own post-partum healing, I utilized a few resources including my Midwife (die Hebamme) and labor recovery course (das rückbildungskurs) – both services fully . I also ensured to go to my 6-month post-labor check-up with my Gynecologist to ensure I had healed properly from birth. Healing looks different for everyone. However, I found most helpful to connect with my medical team of Gynecologist and Midwife to help support me with healing from labor.
9. How do I select which school to send my child to? This is a big topic, especially in Germany where the education system is set-up differently than it was for me back in the U.S. While this is something we are still trying to navigate, I recently attended a webinar hosted by the relocation company, Move-in, where they discussed the German education system and how school registration works. At the moment, we are navigating the nursery school process. Since nursery school spots are limited, we kept our options open and applied to almost all of the nursery schools around our area and surrounding neighborhoods. We tried not to be too picky here as this allowed us better chances at getting a spot. However, during the nursery school search, two things were important for us: proximity of the school to our home and that it offered bilingual education.
10. What financial support is available for foreign families in Germany? In a recent blog post, I dive into the top financial benefits available to foreign families in Germany including, das Elterngeld and das Kindergeld.

When finding out you are expecting, there is a lot to consider. Do not get overwhelmed by feeling as if you have to navigate it all on your own. I started this blog to help new expecting expats in Germany understand the most pressing questions about raising children abroad. To help you further consider what things you need to know when you find out you are expecting, print and save my Ultimate Checklist for Birth Abroad in Germany and start to feel in control of your parenting abroad journey.

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