Finding the Right Midwife for Your Pregnancy
To find the right midwife for you, the first step is understanding how midwives work and what services they offer.
A helpful tip: Start looking for a midwife as soon as you receive a positive pregnancy test. In Germany, there is currently a shortage of midwives, similar to the shortage of daycare places. That’s why it’s important to begin your search as early as possible.
How Do Midwives Work?
Not all midwives offer the same scope of care. That’s why we’ve summarized the different options for you in a clear and simple way:
1. Self-Employed / Independent Midwives
Most midwives in Germany belong to this group. They offer different types of care:
Some midwives support you during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, including breastfeeding guidance and advice on introducing solid foods.
Important: These midwives do not attend the birth itself.
Midwives Offering Full Care
These midwives provide complete care, including prenatal check-ups, birth support, and postpartum care. They may offer hospital births or out-of-hospital births, depending on whether they work in a clinic, at home, or in a birth center.
2. Affiliated Midwives (Beleghebammen)
Affiliated midwives have a cooperation agreement with a specific hospital. They can only work in hospitals where they hold a contract. If you would like to give birth in a particular clinic, make sure to ask whether affiliated midwives work there.
There are two main models:
Shift-Based Affiliated Midwives
These midwives often work in smaller hospitals without neonatal units and organize their services independently. Shifts usually last 12 hours.
You won’t know in advance which midwife will attend your birth, but working conditions for midwives are often more favorable in this model.
1:1 Care Affiliated Midwives
These midwives work exclusively in hospitals with which they have a contract. The major advantage is that the same midwife accompanies you throughout the entire birth.
However, you usually cannot freely choose the hospital.
Costs of 1:1 Care
If you choose 1:1 care with an affiliated midwife, additional on-call fees apply. Depending on the region, these range between €500 and €2,000 and are not always fully covered by health insurance.
These fees cover the midwife’s continuous on-call availability, which usually begins three weeks before your estimated due date and ends two weeks afterward.
What You Should Know About Home Birth Midwives
Home birth midwives support women during pregnancy, home birth, and the postpartum period.
Although home birth has a long tradition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a home birth midwife. The reasons include high insurance costs and comparatively low compensation.
If you do not want to give birth at home but also prefer not to give birth in a hospital, a birth center may be an alternative. In many larger cities, birth centers offer 1:1 care in a calm and supportive environment.
Postpartum Care – A Crucial Part of Pregnancy
Postpartum care is an essential part of your maternity journey and should always be supported by a midwife. Unfortunately, the postpartum period often receives too little attention.
That’s why we have compiled all the important information about postpartum care for you.
The 3 Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself
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Where would you like to give birth?
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What type of care do you want?
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Do you want postpartum support?
How to Find a Midwife
There is a helpful platform called
Ammely
which connects families with midwives.
You can enter your preferred type of care, and available midwives in your area will be suggested.
You can also visit the website of the hospital you are considering. There you’ll usually find affiliated midwives as well as employed midwives offering prenatal and postpartum care.
The
Deutscher Hebammenverband
(German Midwives Association) is also a valuable resource, especially if you encounter difficulties during your search.
If you are unable to find a midwife, inform your health insurance provider. This helps raise awareness of the current shortage and may support efforts to improve nationwide midwifery coverage in Germany.
Because just like the Babybox team, we believe:
Every birth deserves a midwife.
Our Best Tip
As soon as you have a positive pregnancy test, confide in a trusted friend who has already had a positive experience with a competent midwife. Midwives are often recommended through personal networks — and a good recommendation can make all the difference.
We wish you the very best of luck in your search! 🤍
