Finding a Home Birth Midwife in Germany

A Hausgeburtshebamme is a midwife who attends births at home. Not all midwives offer this — most don’t. Finding one is the single most important logistical step in planning a home birth in Germany, and it takes longer than most people expect.

Where to search

Hebammensuche.de is the main national search directory, run by the GKV-Spitzenverband (the central association of health insurers). You can filter by region and type of care offered.

Local Hebammenlisten — regional midwife directories, often maintained by city or district health offices — are another source. These are less polished but sometimes more current than the national database.

Word of mouth is often the fastest route. Other mothers, antenatal classes, birth preparation groups, and online parent communities — especially local ones — can point you directly to midwives who are accepting bookings.

Geburtshaus networks are worth contacting even if you want a home birth. Birth houses often know which midwives in the area attend home births, and some Geburtshaus midwives also offer home birth alongside their birth centre practice.

When to start

As early as possible. Many women begin searching as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed — 6 to 8 weeks. In some regions, midwives are fully booked months in advance. Starting at 20 weeks may already be too late in high-demand areas.

This isn’t an exaggeration. The midwife shortage is real and structural. Starting early is not a precaution — it is a necessity.

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What to ask

When you find a midwife who may be available, the conversation should cover the practical details that matter for your birth:

Does she attend home water births specifically? What is her transfer rate? Which hospital does she transfer to? Does she work alone or with a second midwife? What are her fees beyond what the Krankenkasse covers — particularly the Rufbereitschaftspauschale (on-call fee)? Is she comfortable with your specific circumstances (first baby, any relevant medical history)?

You should also ask how she works during labour. Her approach to monitoring, intervention, and the overall pace of care should align with what you want for your birth.

Why the shortage exists

Germany has a well-documented Hebammenmangel — midwife shortage — particularly acute for home birth midwives. Three structural forces drive it.

Professional indemnity insurance costs have risen dramatically. A midwife attending out-of-hospital births now pays over 10,000 euros per year in insurance premiums. This is the single biggest reason midwives stop offering home birth.

The transition from vocational to university-based midwifery education since 2020 temporarily reduced the pipeline of newly qualified midwives.

The workload is unsustainable for many. A home birth midwife must be on call for weeks around each due date. The combination of on-call burden, insurance cost, and relatively low reimbursement means the numbers keep declining.

If you can’t find a midwife

Don’t give up immediately. There are strategies:

Expand your geographic search radius. Some midwives travel 30 to 50 kilometres. Contact the local Hebammenverband (midwife association) for leads that may not appear in online directories. Ask at Geburtshäuser — birth house midwives sometimes attend home births as well, or know who does. Register with multiple midwives simultaneously and confirm as soon as one accepts.

If no Hausgeburtshebamme is available, consider a Beleggeburt — an arrangement where your chosen midwife accompanies you to hospital. You keep continuity of care even if the setting changes. It is not what you planned, but it preserves the relationship with your midwife, which matters more than most people realise.