You’re pregnant and looking for a midwife? Especially during times of acute midwife shortages, it’s often not that easy. In this article, we’ll give you helpful tips on how to approach your midwife search. Our tip: The earlier you start, the better!

What Does a Midwife Do, and Do I Really Need One?

Midwives are specialists in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and breastfeeding. They can perform all prenatal checkups, including blood tests. Only the three routine ultrasounds and any additional prenatal diagnostics need to be done by your gynecologist.

Your midwife can also support you with childbirth preparation and provide care at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital. In Germany, a midwife must be present at every birth—whereas a doctor is not always required. After birth, your midwife accompanies you for up to 12 weeks at home, checking on you and your baby, answering questions, and providing breastfeeding guidance. Many midwives also offer postpartum exercise courses. Not every midwife offers everything, but all are your point of contact during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Midwives also differ by employment type: employed, freelance, or on-call. Hospital midwives work shifts and may care for multiple births at the same time. Freelance midwives run their own practices or support home and birth center births, sometimes also working independently in hospitals. With a self-employed or on-call midwife, you have familiar support throughout the entire birth.

Not only women work as midwives—more men are training as midwives too. In LILLYDOO articles, we use “midwives” for everyone in the profession, as it reflects the full scope of work before and after birth.

Every pregnant person has a legal right to midwife care (§ 24d SGB). Standard services are usually covered by your health insurance. Additional services, like pregnancy yoga, massages, or postpartum courses, are usually paid privately. You decide how much support you want and can combine midwife care with your gynecologist’s care.

When and Where Should You Start the Search?

If you want a midwife during pregnancy, start as early as possible—especially if you’re planning a home birth or birth with an on-call midwife. LILLYDOO recommends starting as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. Even in the case of an early miscarriage, your midwife will be there for you. Don’t wait too long to find a postpartum midwife either, as home postpartum care is time-intensive and midwives have limited capacity. If you decide in the hospital to use postpartum care at home, the staff or midwives can help you find a midwife for the coming weeks.

Official midwife lists can be found online or via your gynecologist. Personal recommendations from friends or family can also be helpful.

How to Approach the Search

Before contacting every midwife in your area, think about your wishes and needs. What’s important to you? What type of birth do you want? Which midwifery services would you like to use?

Then create a list of midwives accepting pregnant clients in your area. Most midwives have limited catchment areas to ensure they can respond quickly in emergencies. If a midwife’s services match your expectations, contact her by phone or email and give a brief introduction, including your due date, number of children, and location.

It’s worth contacting several midwives and keeping an overview list of your inquiries. LILLYDOO’s tip: Be persistent! Requests can get lost in a busy midwife’s schedule, so a polite follow-up is okay.

The Initial Consultation

Once your preferred midwife is available, schedule an initial consultation at home, in the practice, or at a birth center. Health insurance usually covers the first consultation, and sometimes two if you’re planning a birth outside a hospital. Any additional consultations are usually paid privately.

During the first meeting, you and your midwife get to know each other. She may ask about your pregnancy so far, previous births, and your expectations. You can ask questions such as: How long has she been a midwife? What’s her approach to breastfeeding, homeopathy, elective C-sections? How does care work with her? Does she do home visits, and how often? Is she reachable between appointments? Does she have emergency coverage? Your partner can attend if desired.

Your gut feeling matters most: the right midwife is the one you feel comfortable with, trust, and can truly relax around.

Finding a midwife can be challenging, especially with staff shortages in hospitals or high demand for freelance midwives. If you haven’t found one yet, you can report shortages to help highlight the need for more support.

Even if the search is difficult, don’t give up hope! We wish you find the midwife who’s perfect for you, so pregnancy, birth, and postpartum can be guided with care and confidence.