Your Rights & Birth Settings in Germany
According to the german law,( SGB V ยง 24), in Berlin, you can give birth in different settings: outside the hospital: at home with a midwife, in a midwifery-led care centre, or in a hospital.
German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) particularly Art. 2 (1) says that a woman has the autonomy to decide when and where to give birth, as part of her right to self-determination.
Choosing where to give birth is a very personal choice. I created here a selection of questions and data to help you make an informed decision.
Out-of-Hospital Birth
Your Options
Hospital Birth
Your Options
Standard Hospital Birth
Birth with hospital midwives and doctors available
Choosing the right hospital
Making an informed decision about where you give birth
Browse my interactive mapMy doula advice on selecting a hospitalWhat Birth Setting is Best for Me?
Personal questions to guide your decision-making journey
How to choose between the different options? Weight your pros and cons, this is a very personal choice. Following are some questions that I wrote to support your personal reflections. Aside from that, here is a great resource from the NHS but the content is also 100% relevant for Berliners
What does 'safety' mean to me?
What level of care do I need?
Any pregnancy complications or health concerns? Low-risk vs high-risk pregnancy ?
What kind of pain management options do I envisage ? Do I want access to pain relief like an epidural ?
Typically, it is not possible to have an epidural outside an hospital. The range of options vary based on the setting (bath, accupuncture, laughing gas, opioids etc.)
How would I feel/what would I do in case my plan changes (transfer to the hospital etc.) ?
How flexible am I with my birth plan ?
What kind of birth experience do I want?
What are my concerns and hopes about each option ?
What's my gut feeling saying ?
What practical considerations matter ?
Distance, transport, etc.
My advice: Ask yourself these questions for a hospital birth
Essential questions to ask yourself and your providers
If you choose a hospital birth, here are specific questions that I suggest you can ask yourself and your potential providers to help you decide what is the best place for you. This list is non-exhaustive, I invite you to think about your own version of this list of questions based on what matters to you specifically.
Imagine that you are "interviewing" the providers, your birth matters, make sure you choose carefully where you go based on your needs, research and gut feeling. You can ask these questions at the registration (Geburtsanmeldung) or if necessary/allowed by the hospital, ask them during a specific session to discuss your birth "Geburtsplanung".
Having a Doula at Your Birth
As a doula, I can help you prepare for your birth to come in feeling informed and ready. If you wish, I also accompany you during birth, offering continuous emotional, physical, and practical support for you and your partner, from start to finish.
Let's ConnectRemember, this is your birth experience. Trust your instincts and don't hesitate to ask the questions that matter most to you.