Doulas and Midwives
Doulas and midwives offer complimentary support surrounding the birth of a newborn mother and baby. Having the care of one does not negate the value of adding the other to your birth or postpartum team.
Coming from the US, where families barely have time to rest, recover and bond after birth before it’s back to work, I am pleasantly surprised by the supportive perinatal culture here in Germany.
The fact that your health insurance will pay for a midwife to visit you in the comfort of your home during the 4th trimester still seems almost unbelievable to me! My cultural background tells me this is a luxury, but the doula in me deeply feels this should be the bare-minimum standard world-wide.
While growing families are very well supported in Germany, if you are pregnant in Berlin you may have noticed the midwife crisis. The high demand of a baby-boom and low supply of midwives, can leave families feeling like finding a postpartum midwife is a full time job.
Find a Midwife
- Check out the midwife page on Facebook. Request to join, post your estimated due date, zip code/neighborhood, and languages spoken. Post here frequently, as midwives often have last minute availability.
- The German website, Geburt in Berlin, has a very comprehensive list of midwives, as well as hospitals, birth centers, and other great resources. I recommend translating the page to your preferred language and use their locations to narrow down your search.
- This midwife search website helps to narrow down midwives available in your zip code during your estimated due date.
- You can call this midwife hotline and they will help to connect you with care in your area.
- This is another midwife list where you can search by location, date and preferred language.
- Google the midwifery practices or birth centers closest to your home, and email them directly asking for their availability.
