Giving birth in Berlin

Hi,
I'm wondering whether there are any Americans out there who've given birth in Berlin, and what your experience was like. I'm newly pregnant, and am seeking American perspectives on hospitals vs. private clinics here, doctors, etcetera. I'm a little terrified, and those birth shows that i've caught on German tv haven't eased my worries at all. Any advice? Recommendations?
Thanks!

I myself am not (yet) pregnant, but I do know at least three girls living in Berlin who have given birth not too long ago. Is there anything in particular you would like to know about?

Edit: Forgot to ask: Whereabouts in Berlin do you live?

i live in Wilmersdorf. I'm just looking for recommendations to hospitals, clinics, doctors, and maybe things to look out for. My current doctor is just not my cup of tea. He's insecure with his English, and is a little short with me, not too comforting for me, as this is my first pregnancy, and obviously, i have questions. Plus, quite honestly, it'd be lovely to find a doctor in Berlin who uses gowns or those paper blankets- anything so that i can cover my bare ass as i make my way from the table to the changing area!
More seriously, I've considered giving birth in a private clinic, but those don't have NICU's, so I'm a little leery, just because i think it's important to have a NICU nearby, should anything go wrong. But again, I don't know much about anything, and am just starting my quest for info.

All three of my friends/acquaintances had their babies in a hospital called "Waldfriede" (in Zehlendorf). They all live in different districts, but chose to go to the Waldfriede because they felt the most comfortable there. I'm afraid I don't know of many doctors here who are really good with their English. It's always good to have someone with you who speaks good German when you have important appointments to go to. I try to accompany my husband to all of these things, cause he's still struggling with his German, even more so at a doctor's office. Do you maybe have any friends to help you out or can your husband/boyfriend maybe translate for you?
I do know a good doctor in Steglitz, but I am not sure he even speaks any English. He's a real sweetheart, knows how to make you feel comfortable and I've been his patient for about six years now. My husband and I are trying for a baby now, too, and I will definetely stick with this doctor. He does not, however, make use of either gowns or paper blankets, I'm afraid.
A colleague of mine gave birth to two of her children at home. She absolutely loved the experience, but I am not sure I would consider that as an option, as I, too, would want to have the proper equipment around - just in case.
If you knew German enough to read information material I could get some reading material for you. I've got some stuff in my office, as advising my clients on this part of their lives is part of my job.
I completely forgot:

CONGRATS!!!

I am Thistles husband

Congrats

I have a good friend who works as a midwife in Berlin. She is from Chicago. PM me if you wish to hear from her.
PES

Hi there,
I'm American and gave birth here in Berlin 13 months ago. I don't have too much time to write a well thought out reply but send me a personal message and we can exchange phone numbers. Take care.

hi,
im american and newly pregnant too . I had a hard time finding a doctor at first. First, i went to the doctor in my clinic and she didnt speak english adn it was very hard because like u, i wanted to be comforted and told that everything was ok but she barely spoke to me. Then i found a very nice doctor who speaks English but his office is close to my area which is Friedrichshain. there is a website where u can locate doctors who speak English in all areas of Berlin.
try it:
http://www.aerzte-berlin.de/_php/therapie30/fach.php3

there is also an option to get a midwife in Berlin. if u have insurance it is a good idea and u probably would need an english speaking one. how far along are u?

Hi
I am also newly pregnant in Berlin for the first time. I have managed to find an excellent MD and midwife through my doctor and am satisfied thus far. I have no idea how busy she is ect. accepting new patients ect. I have an appointment today and will find out. Unfortunately I have not found a doctor who uses gowns ect, here yet. I plan to deliver at Westend which I am told has 24 hour NICU service and a limit to how many deliveries they will accept each month, hopefully personalizing service?? Agreed having never been pregnant before and experiencing this for the first time in a foreign country is daunting. However, I have the advantage of attending many births in the past to know that there is nothing to to be afraid of. I would advise unless you are very comfortable with your surroundings, know the system very well, have lots of support, and are prepared to accept less than ideal outcomes, not delivering at home. It works for some but not for most. But it doesn't sound like you are headed in that direction. Thanks for posting. Honestly I have never replied to a blog before but I saw your plea and thought that sounds like someone like me. Personally, I have found the sense of isolation to be the worst here. I just returned from a trip to the states where friends and family were thrilled to see me pregnant for the first time and envied my ability to stay home and prepare for the happy event ect. Unfortunately I returned to a cold and wet Berlin without anyone I know to empathize ect. I know there must be more people like us out there. Thanks for getting the ball rolling.

Breath and push and oh yeah, don't forget to breath.

Thank you all for your replies! I just returned today from 2 weeks in the US, so I'm sorry I haven't responded.
I will be in touch soon to your responses. Hopefully, i'll be able to also post some of my experiences. My US doctor gave me some comfort when I saw him last week, and told me that, even though there are no gowns here, the quality of medical care for pregnant women (and obviously, this can vary) is generally considered to be equal, if not better, here in Germany. Obviously, i'm still nervous, but I've got (hopefully) 5+ months to prep...
Blusofa, i totally understand your feelings of isolation here- the weather doesn't help. Maybe we can start our own little social group... it's terribly hard to meet people here, particularly when a)you don't have small kids yet and you're not in college/ newly graduated.

Not in Berlin but FYI: I dont think they have gowns in germany - at least none of the docs Ive ever been too used them. Try wearing an oversized button down shirt to your appointments, you can easily keep it on. Good luck with the pregnancy

PS: and you ladies should arrange a meetup. Sounds like you all might have enough to chatter about over decaf tea and coffee.

Don't know if you realised but there are no long distance charges for accessing a German site in the US. You can actually even log on to Toytown while in the US and no extra cost and with no special settings required. Just a helpful hint from your Unca' BadDoggie.


Better. No hospital will turn you away and send you off on a 2-hour drive over cratered side roads to the town's public assistance hellhole hospital if you're in labor with no insurance card on hand.

woof.

I am not sure about this, but I think there might actually be people out there who have better things to do than to go online when they're visiting home for two weeks...

Thistle
I have to agree with you. I was only too glad to hang out face to face with people instead of over the internet as is my ususal time spent with friends from the states. As for being turned away in labor in the US that is a direct violation of US emergency health care laws. Frankly even the nicest hospitals these days have their "underpreviliged" patients. What does happen is that nicer, i.e prettier not necessarily better hospitals are usually located in nicer neighborhoods so it is easier faster for "previliged" people to get to as well as an ambulance that might pick someone up in that neighborhood whereas "less previliged" people would not be driven there because it is not in their neighborhood. The US health care is uneven in regards to lots of areas however, I can honestly say that in regards to labor and deliver it is very available to all who need it.
As for a meet up for coffee and tea Jilleta I would enjoy that. I live in Schoeneberg. Drop me an email tomorrow and I'll check mine.
M

An understatement. In a 2006 report, of 19 'industrialized' countries (most developed), Germany ranked as high as seven, tying with a few others. The U.S. ranked 18, one above the last, Lithuania.

My partner gives birth in December. I don't know what her Toytown login is or if she has one. You can PM me and I'll pass it on to her. I mostly speak english, but she is fluent in German and English.

You can check out magazines like Eltern and KidsGo, free at family centers and some of the Bio shops. These list the (Berlin) midwives, hospitals and birth houses and what services are provided. Some midwives are junk and won't call you back, others are good at returning calls and coming over.

We don't have much money ourselves; it's possible to get a solid wood baby-bed and good kinderwagon for free by asking around (who the hell would pay 700 euros for a pram anyway?). Also the Moltex diapers at the Bio shops are NOT compostable. Compostable cornstarch-filled diapers are available from a local company.

As I said I know a great midwife in Berlin (from Chicago)...
I will pass her phone to anyone in need,
PES

Top tips for giving birth in Berlin (I have a 4 month old so have done this recently )

1: Do not not not have anything medical done for the baby in the East, always go to the West for this. The paedeatricians in the East have some odd archaic practices.

2: I can strongly recommend Charite Virchow, as they made the effort to ensure that most of the time I was attended by at least one English speaking professional.

3. Get a good midwife, they talk far more sense than most of the doctors. If you are in Mitte/Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain I can suggest Dagmar von Hoetchinen who is lovely but if you go on the Berliner Hebammeverband website (google it) they have a hebamme (midwife) search where you can specify region and language spoken. You need to get a good one ASAP as the best are booked months in advance and they visit you for several weeks after the birth (for the first 10 days it's daily) this is invaluable for 1st timers like I was as they can answer all your questions. If you get a really nice one then you can ring them whenever, even after their responsibility to you is over and they will give you good advice.

4. Unless you want a natural hippy birth with no pain relief and chanting, do not go anywhere near a Geburtshaus. However, if you want to learn about Active Birthing in English the Geburtshaus on Arnimplatz does English antenatal classes (they will however involve singing through contractions and discussions regarding how wonderful an experience it would be to eat your placenta).

Hope to have helped and if you have any further questions feel free to get in contact @ my username @ hotmail.

You'll be pleased to learn then that my bouncing baby boy was born almost exactly a year ago in a superbly equipped, fantastically staffed and very quiet maternity ward in Köpenick DRK...East Berlin.

Please keep unsubstantiated crap to a minimum.

Hello everyone, I hope you have all had great holidays.. I am from Montreal and arrived in Berlin in the beginning of December. I am now almost 8 months pregnant. I have been rushing around trying to find an available midwife. I am crossing my fingers for a reply. Jilleta, I believe we're from the same neighbourhood (I live near Charlottenburg S-Bahn). Since I will be going through the same thing as you, it could be a great idea for us to be in touch. Perhaps we could grab a coffee or something, any afternoon (I don't work). Blusofa, I'd love to chat with you too! Hmmm... sounds like I should start a new "meetups" thread for moms (?)

Hello New to Berlin
You are right we have kind of dropped the ball on meeting up with people. We got together once but then with the holidays, we have not done anything further. Would love to meet up again. Charlottenburg/Schoeneberg would be great. I live in Shoeneberg. As for information, you should decide on a hospital quickly and engage a midwife or MD. A referral from your old doctor would have been best, otherwise I would call the Charite Virchow clinic, the level III center and referal hospital for Berlin and see what they recommend. All the best.
Monique (blusofa)

I'm up for meeting anytime!
About midwives- I don't know how crucial it is to engage a midwife outside of the one you meet from the hospital, who will then be assigned to you for postnatal care. it depends on what you'd like your midwife to do = do you want her to help you before you give birth, and have her come to your house and teach you breathing techniques? do you want her help for mostly after the baby is born? because of labor laws, just because you hire someone that you want, doesn't mean she'll actually be there when it's time to start pushing, depending on how long your labor lasts. If you engage a midwife, and you call her when you go into labor, after 8 or 9 hours, she's going home, because she's supposed to. Yes, you can call her when your labor has progressed, and then she'll help with your delivery.
You should definitely contact a hospital. We wound up only seeing one so far, but we have a "slot" and a few months before i'll deliver, i'm supposed to contact them regarding my birth plan, and supposedly, i'll meet some midwives then. if you're a private insurance patient, most likely, the head of the department will deliver your baby, but the midwives will be there beforehand, and afterwards.
Something that i'd like to do in the next few months is to take a refresher first-aid class-for infant cpr, choking, all that lovely stuff. I know that it's offered, but it'd be great if we could organize a bunch of english-speakers into one of those, and instead of sitting through the german stuff, we could ask them to instruct in english. Any thoughts?

Jilletta,which hospital did u register with? Have any of you enrolled in any birthing courses? I think I heard that there is one in English. If any of you have any knowledge of that, I would appreciate it. Im up for meeting again. .

Hi, I'm an American midwife working here in Berlin. I had talked to Jilleta, but some of the info in her reply isn't quite on the mark. In terms of midwives, there are free-lance midwives (Beleghebamme) who have a contract with a specific hospital and can use the services of a hospital with their own patients who they take care of during the pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and post partum. This kind of midwife usually requires that the pregnant woman pay an "on-call" fee from 150-300 Euro. The midwife can set this fee herself. Insurance companies don't usually cover it. The midwife, through a contract, promises to accompany you to the hospital and deliver your baby, if this takes two hours or 24 hours...or more. There is no law regarding how long she is allowed to stay with you. At some point, though, the midwife might have to interrupt her care of you, in which case the staff midwives will take over. I've experienced this only once, though. The advantage of is kind of care is that you know the midwife who will be delivering your baby. Otherwise, a pregnant woman can have a midwife during pregnancy and post partum, who, not only teaches her to breathe, but also visits to help with the problems that can show up during pregnancy, including just plain old fears. Post partum visits are anywhere from 2 weeks to 8 weeks, and includes care of the cord stump, breastfeeding, weighing your baby to make sure it's gaining properly, checking the involution of your uterus, helping you bathe your baby the first time, etc... Most midwives talk to you at some point about sexuality after delivering a baby, which is for most women a relief to talk about it. The first time after can be scary. Insurance covers these visits, and since they usually last an hour and are in your home, they are often a welcome change to the quick visits at the doctor's office. Midwives on staff at a hospital are not required to do your post partum care, often they work full-time and simply don't have the time to do home visits in addition to a 40 plus hour week. But you can get lucky. Being privately insured also doesn't insure that the head doctor will be at your delivery. Many don't come on the weekend or at night, in which case an "Oberarzt" or obstetric specialist will come. They are usually fantastic and sometimes just as competant, if not better, than the head doctor. Midwifery laws in Germany are very strict. A midwife must deliver your baby, whether you're privately insured or not, unless the delivery is forceps, vacuum or c-section, in which case a midwife is still required by law to be at the delivery. In all my experience working at different hospitals in Berlin, I have never experienced a head doctor doing a normal delivery. (But there may be exceptions, can only speak for my experience.)
Hope this helps.

Hello all
i am up for meeting next week anytime. Would anyone like to meet say midweek in the afternoon. Coffee/Tee sort of thing?? Sorry I did not contact sooner. I was struck by the bug that seems to be floating around Berlin last week. All the best to everyone.
Monique

Thank you for the help Jilleta and Cedarwoods. I am also available next week, anytime after 2 pm (I am taking morning German classes). Coffee (juice ;-)) sounds good. I had an apointment with a midwife tonight, but she cancelled (she's sick). Hopefully, we will meet Friday and everything will be sorted out. Looking forward to seeing you.

im up for meeting. Anytime next week is fine with me. Looking forward to meeting again!

Thanks, Cedarwood, for your "clarification" on midwifery. Although, i distinctly remember you telling me something about after a certain amount of hours "on duty" the midwife goes home- you mentioned this in conjuction with labor laws and exhaustion on the midwife's part after working more than 8-9 hours. That's why i decided against hiring anyone, because of the information i got from you.
I'm planning on delivering at Westend. At the information session, i approached the head of the department about who would deliver my baby and he was very specific about the fact that either he or his second-in-command would be delivering my baby, because i have private insurance. Also at Westend's info session, they give you a list of midwives that are affiliated with the hospital, and it tells you the areas they cover, and what their specialties are- like homeopathy, accupuncture, etcetera. But again, because he told me that he'd be delivering the baby, I haven't looked into the midwives.
And yes, my husband and I are taking the hospital's classes- we start tomorrow, actually, but it's just a parenting class, not the birthing class or first aid course, yet. If there's something available in English, please let me know! I'll inquire tomorrow whether the hospital would be willing to offer a class in English if we got a small group together. The classes they offer are for a fee, so they may be amenable to it.

I'd love to meet next week- I'm available on Monday, anytime. Does Monday afternoon work for you all? i'm in the Wilmersdorf/Charlottenburg area, but have easy access to transportation.

When I came to Berlin 10 years ago pregnant from Israel, I needed help navigating through a system that was totally new to me. I was grateful for the help I got from midwives and acquaintances. This is part of the reason that I am more than willing to help on internet or on the telephone with non-medical advice about doctors, hospitals and midwives. Jilleta, I am so sorry if there was a misunderstanding. We were on the phone all together for a good half hour or 45 minutes. I can't recall everything I told you to the detail. A free-lance midwife is not controlled by labor laws, but by her conscience and her ability to judge her level of exhaustion. She will go if she can't manage anymore. Staff midwives are controlled by labor laws. They will stay an extra half hour, if their boss allows them , to complete a delivery, but it's on their own time. I also don't know what Dr. Kentenich promised you. You have to go on his word. As far as Westend goes, I talked to a friend who is a midwife in the delivery room, and she suggested you call someone from the list now. They will do their best after the delivery to help you find someone,if need be from outside the hospital, but the midwives on list get booked up early. She also told me that almost all the midwives there speak English, so you should be able to find someone who suits you.
Like I said, I am happy to help with questions. My name is Nancy. My number is (in Berlin) 83229950.

Hello All
Hope not too many ruffled feathers. What do you say to meeting as Jilletta suggested Monday afternoon let's say around 3pm. I think a nice place for tea/juice/coffee/kuchen and somewhat famous in Berlin is Potemkin. It is on the Victoria Louisa Platz, also very nice place in Berlin and easy to get to. It is in Willmersdorf/Schoneberg area right behind the KaDeWee. Two ways to get there. Either go to Wittenberg Platz and walk down Ansbacher Str (street on the side of KaDeWee) to Regensburger, make a left and you will dead end into the Platz. There follow the circle around to the left and you will run into Potemkin. The walk should take about 15 minutes. You will cross Leipziger Str. Second way, if you get off at Victoria Louisa Platz it is basically in front of you toward your right as you approach the restaurants on the platz. If this sounds ok for everyone just drop on line and we can meet then. We can discuss some of the above issues. I too have heard something basically in the middle of what Nacy and Jilletta report on midwives doctors ect in Berlin. My husband works in one of the hospitals here in the city and consequently I have a slightly different perspective and knowledge as well. I'd be glad to share what I know if you all are interested. Look forward to seeing you. All the best
Monique

Monday at 3 sounds fine with me. I know another girl who I know would like to join (also pregnant, but not american), if thats ok with u guys.

Potemkin, on Monday at 3 sounds great! See you ladies there... I'm guessing you all will be the ones with bellies?

You can't miss me! 35 weeks pregnant...
Rebecca

Hello! First, I want to thank you Jilleta for checking in on me before your trip. All is well with me. In fact, though I was just married in November, I have already fallen in love again. His name is Benjamin and his birthday is January 25th. You can go to http://www.first-moment.de/service.html, scroll down, punch in the code 10977, click the button beside and take a look... :D

Wow!!!
Congratulations!!! He is absolutely beautiful. Now that you are experienced when he is up to visiting you will have to join us to tell us your story.
All the very best.
Monique

Hi Rebecca!
Monique and I were wondering whether you had delivered already or not. I called you Thursday, when I came back, but figured you were just out and about when i didn't catch you. Hearty congrats to you and your family! Benjamin is a cutie-pie! Love the little stuffed animal by his side. I've never seen anything like that site- how'd you find it?
All the best wishes to all three of you!!
Talk to you soon...
jill

Congratulations!!! He is sooo cute! You must be thrilled. I would love to hear your story, perhaps when ur up to it, we can meet and u can bring him along. I would love to meet him, Congrats again!

Enas

There is a website for all the related conversation http://www.wunschkinderforum.de/. My wife is on it so much, it might be her homepage.

--
OT blusofa: 'I live in Shoeneberg.' I dumpster in Schoeneberg. Nice trash. what is it with the people on the berlin forum having so much cash to burn?

Just wanted to reposition this chat forum to alert any newbies in Berlin that we have a nice little group of pregnant English-speakers, who meet up regularly. Send me a PM if you're interested in joining us!

Hi I am from the Uk and 6 months pregnant. It would be really nice to meet up with other english speakers in the same situation. I would love to meet up with all of you at one of your coffee mornings.

Hello

I am also from the UK and 5 months pregnant. I've been in Berlin for 2 weeks now - I've never walked so much in my life!

I'm desperate for any recommendations of English speaking doctors and midwives. I'm currently living in the Charlottenburg area and would love to hear from you or meet up.

Hello Bec and Nica (and Enes, Jill and Monique if you're still checking!),

As you can see from previous messages, I was in the same situation as you when I got here in late November 2006 (except that I was 7 months pregnant!). Benjamin is now almost 3 months old, was born at Martin Luther Krankenhaus, and is doing great. I also really liked my gynecologist/obstetrician for my prenatal care. I'm from Montreal, Canada and live in Charlottenburg as well. If you would like to meet up, I would be happy to grab a coffee and give you any information I have. For now, my advice to you is to get a midwife asap as she can be a good resource if you feel lost.

Feel free to pm me.

Rebecca

Hello All,
We just moved from the UK to Berlin and I would love to meet up with mums & bumps. My baby boy Matthias is 3 months old now and we miss the coffee mornings/afternoons in the UK ;-)
Please let me know your next get together!

Hi there ,

I have lived in Berlin for about a year and a half and just found out that I'm 6 weeks pregnant. It's my first pregnancy so my husband and I are feeling excited! Right now I'm having this trimester symptoms like feeling low and moody and super tired. I'm really not used to it.

Anyway, I would really like to be at the next meet up. I'm currently living in Charlottenburg and would love to hear from you and meet up.

Have a nice day!

Hi ladies,

Congrats to all the expecting moms.
I think the woman who started this thread (Jill) has gone back to the US .. FYI .. and as far as I know, there has not been a meet up in a while.
Best thing is for one of you to choose a specific date (or a few dates to choose from), time and meeting place in order to best gather people.
I gave birth in Berlin 19 months ago and would be happy to join you and provide info.

Hello Ladies,
Following Sunny`s suggestion I would like to propose times for meet-ups: every Tuesday or Wednesday 1.30pm. I have just arrived to Berlin and don`t have a place in mind, if you let me know your location I can look for one which is most convenient. To start with me, I live in Wilmersdorf and happy to drive anywhere to meet ;-)
Speedy

Hello All,

I would also be interested in reviving these meet ups. I am 12 weeks this Friday. I've only just moved here from Australia in March (to be with my German boyfriend, now fiance) so I could definately use the advice from people who have been or are going through having a baby here. If I could make one request, could we propose a different time or ? I just started going to language school between 12.30 and 3.30 at Schöneberg (Hartnackschule). Perhaps a morning session one week and an afternoon the next so I and others in a similar situation could make it at least once a fortnight?

CM

Hello there,
I won't be in Berlin in the whole next week but will definitely be able to meet you all after that. I have class on Wednesday and Friday from 5:30-8:45pm but other than that I'm flexible with the time and places to meet.
Hope to see you all very soon.
pars

i'm a stay-at-home mom with a 4-month-old baby, and i'd love to meet up with other moms seeing as i'm going slightly crazy not seeing other people all day.

Hello Ladies,
How does next Wednesday 10.00 sound for a get together? I am new to Berlin, if someone could recommend a place that would be great.
Cheers,
Speedy