What is the Best Hospital for Giving Birth in Berlin? Make A Choice That Feels Right for You!

As a doula, I believe that choosing where to give birth is one of the most important decisions you can make during pregnancy, even if you have a "normal" low-risk pregnancy— and it’s not as simple as “just pick the closest hospital.”

Based on my experience and feedback from fellow doulas & midwives, the following clinics have a reputation of supporting empowering physiological births:

• Maria Heimsuchung Pankow

• Vivantes Auguste Viktoria

• DRK Westend (also, if you have a breech baby, this is a really great place!)

• Havelhöhe

• Most Geburtshaüser

Does this mean that other places are bad? No. Does it mean that if you go to one of these places you’re guaranteed a positive, respectful birth? Also no. Remember that everyone’s experience is unique: on the same day, two different people can have completely different experiences in the same ward.

You’ll hear many contradictory reviews about hospitals — from friends, social media, and other parents. That’s why it can help to seek advice from a trusted midwife or doula who understands the local system.

But in the end, what matters most is your informed decision and your intuition, based on YOUR criteria.

To help you explore your options and find what feels right for you, I’ve created this blog post — inspired by questions from my 🔗Birth Guide, where you’ll find many more tips and insights.

Meet Providers & Visit Places

Perhaps the most important step is to explore multiple options consider different hospitals, or Gerburtshäuser: go there in person, meet the team who might attend your birth etc. Think of it like an interview: you are choosing a setting that should be the best fit for you and this birth. Who passes the test? What are your criteria?

Here are some practical steps you may take:

• Attend Infoabende (information evenings) or open days at hospitals and birth centers. These give you a sense of the staff, the environment, and the philosophy.

• Visit the Kreißsaal (labor ward) if possible — walk the halls, see the rooms, notice how you feel.

• Ask your questions — about intervention rates, policies, routines, and flexibility (see next section: What to ask?)

• You may ask for a special appointment to discuss your (medical, emotional, logistic) situation, this is called "Geburtsplannung".

Keep in mind that unless you have a Beleghebamme, it’s unlikely you’ll give birth with midwives or obstetricians you’ve met before. This is why the presence of a doula can be crucial — someone who supports you continuously throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

☝️You are not limited to one place!☝️

• You can register at multiple hospitals

• You can even choose not to register at all and simply show up when labor starts (call them before showing up or you might be turned down if they are full!!) — though being registered usually makes the process smoother for you and everyone involved.

Some families find it helpful to have a two-part strategy:

• Register at a more “low-intervention” hospital or one with a 🔗Hebammenkreißsaal.

• Also register at a larger, more medicalised hospital with advanced neonatal care, just in case complications arise (during pregnancy or at the start of labour). This way, you leave space for your birth to unfold while knowing you have backup options ready.

  
  

  Just keep in mind, if you have a low-risk pregnancy the vast majority of births unfold safely and without major complications (overall neonatal mortality rate for low-risk pregnancies is estimated under 1 per 1,000 in Germany)

Nuances in Berlin

Berlin offers a wide spectrum of birth setups.

Hopsital birth:

• Usual hospital set up: you give birth with whoever is there on the shift. Midwives you do not necessarily know. If physician-led interventions are needed, an obstetrician will be called in.

• 🔗Beleghebamme: your own midwife accompanies you into the hospital, ensuring continuity.  If physician-led interventions are needed, an obstetrician will be called in.

• 🔗Hebammenkreißsaal: a midwife-led room in the hospital for low-risk births, with medical staff on standby if needed.

Out-of-Hopsital birth:

• 🔗Geburtshaus (birth center) and Hausgeburt (home birth): lower-intervention options led by midwives, ideal for healthy, low-risk pregnancies, with transfer protocols in case of complications

  
  

What to Ask Yourself & the Clinic?

To support you in comparing birth settings, here are guiding questions:

• Ask for numbers & facts. What are the hospital’s rates of C-section (differentiate planned vs in -labour) / criteria and rates of inductions / criteria and rates of episiotomies... These numbers can reflect the hospital’s culture and approach (to an extent, because of course, hospitals that follow high-risk pregnancies have higher intervention rates).

  • Also you can ask what is the usual ratio of midwife per birthing person during labour, the number of delivery wards and births per day (to get a sense of how busy it is)

  • You can find some of these infos 🔗on my map, and ask for the other ones that interest you when meeting the care team.

  • You can see my🔗 list of questions to ask care teams to help you choose where to give birth. 👇👇👇

  
  
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• What is the level of neonatal care (NICU / perinatal center)?For low-risk pregnancies, you may not need the highest level, but knowing what’s the options are is essential to make an informed choice. Reversely, if your preganncy is high-risk (e..g risk of prematurity etc.) you will be refered to a high level of care 🔗Do I need an NICU for birth in Berlin? Hospital Levels Explained (Perinatalzentrum : Levels 1, 2, 3)

• Sense of safety and culture Visit if you can, meet the team (e.d. during your Geburtsanmeldung or in an Infoabende): do you feel respected, heard, and comfortable? Does the staff’s philosophy match yours?

• Reception of your birth plan: How does the team respond to it, and which parts might lead to refusals, or misalignments and why? 🔗Why a Birth Plan Matters (step by step guide on how to write it). Tips from a Berlin Doula

• Environment and amenities Birthing tubs for water birth, freedom of movement, partner presence, privacy, comfort measures and pain management options for labour, postpartum station facilities and support— these "details" actually shape your experience.

• Distance and travel time Consider traffic, time of day, and how far you want to travel while in labor.

• Midwife care and continuity Does the hospital allow Beleghebammen (independent midwives with admitting rights)? Do they offer a Hebammenkreißsaal (midwife-led birth room)? These models give you more midwife-centered care within a hospital.

Explore Your Options on the Map

I recommend using the 🔗Berlin Birth Clinics Map to explore all the birth settings in Berlin with filters for:

• 🔗Neonatal care levels

• C-section and intervention rates

• Availability of 🔗Beleghebammen or Hebammenkreißsaal

• Location and distance

• When to take part to information evenings, have a tour, register...

• & more

  
  

https://guide.annematei.com/berlin-birth-clinics-map

Final Thoughts ...

There is no single “best hospital” for everyone in Berlin. Your best choice depends on your medical history, your birth vision, and your intuition and affinity with the teams.

Where you give birth matters, but how prepared you feel inside your bubble matters even more.

When you know how your body is designed to give birth — the physiology of contractions, hormone release, and the cascade of natural responses — it becomes easier to trust your instincts and flow with labor rather than against it.

Your sense of safety, calm, and focus is strengthened when your 🔗partner or doula knows how to support you, 🔗advocate with you for your preferences, and help you stay in your space.

I can only encourage you to 🔗write a clear birth plan to be informed so you can respond calmly to suggested interventions and keep decision-making centered on you.

With your inner preparation, and the active support of 🔗your partner/doula, birth team, you can feel empowered to give birth empowered.

I wish you to feel empowered to choose a place that aligns with your priorities.

Book your free call

I am Anne Matei, your doula in Berlin. As a trained doula, I support families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum.

Numerous studies have documented the benefits of having a doula present during labor.

It has been proven that having a doula decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50% , length of labor by 25%, requests for an epidural by 60% etc.

I offer a wide range of services, including presence at birth. I also offer online consultations to help you explore your options, understand the different birth settings, write your birth plan and make informed decisions that align with your values and wishes.