Breastfeeding should be one of the most natural and enriching experiences in a new mum's life, but for many women, it brings only frustration, pain and heartache. If you are having difficulties with breastfeeding, there is English language support available, with a number of qualified, English speaking lactation consultants available in Berlin, you will find a short list below. ​

With the search for a midwife in Berlin becoming more and more challenging, Doulas are becoming more popular for pregnant women in the city who are looking for that extra support in English (or whatever their mother tongue language may be). The provide pre-natal service, continuous support during labour/birth and post-natal support as well as breastfeeding guidance. In this post I aim to answer any questions you have about doulas in general, and in Berlin. 

My aim for the 'Pregnant in Berlin' section of this site is to try and make some aspects of being pregnant and having a baby in Germany a little less overwhelming. With this in mind, I thought I'd write an overall information post full of tips on how it works having a baby in Germany and more specifically, Berlin. 

It would be impossible for me to keep track of all the the different pregnancy/ pre-natal classes starting and stopping in Berlin, however, here is a list of all the organisations and people I know that are offering (at the time I write this) pregnancy/pre-natal yoga or Pilates in English in the city. Please be aware that class availability changes regularly, so always check their website / contact them about current classes. ​

Berlin is home to a number of Hospitals and Birth Houses  with birthing facilities, link at the end of this post. This particular post focuses on St. Joseph Krankenhaus in Tempelhof. It is not a personal review, just information on the process at this specific hospital. There will be more of these types of overviews to come in the near future.  

Being pregnant, or having young children, away from family and friends can be tough, especially so if your friendship group doesn't consist of other parents(-to-be) or if you don't know many people in Berlin. 

Never fear though, Berlin is full of many opportunities to get to know other mums (and dads), pretty much wherever you are. Here are my tips on how.. 

What is a Beleghebamme?

During pregnancy in Berlin there are a number of decisions to be made. When it comes to choices of midwife (Hebamme), some women choose to look specifically for a Beleghebamme to assist them in pregnancy, at the birth and once the baby is home. If you are unsure what a Beleghebamme is, you can read more about it in my post about how to find a midwife in Berlin.

I have been asked a couple of times for recommendations of an English-speaking gynaecologist/OBGYN (Frauenarzt) in Berlin and I am always a little careful with giving such recommendations. What one person appreciates in a doctor, can be different to someone else, however, I have decided to pull together all the recommendations I've found from others of English-speaking gynaecologists in Berlin. 

At some point in your pregnancy in Berlin, you will start considering your birth options. For those of you who are interested in birthing houses (Geburtshäuser) as an option, here is a list of Berlin's birthing houses along with an explanation of what a Geburtshaus is, their website and contact details and details of any info evenings available...