Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting offers in English

Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting in Berlin
The Essential Information Session for English-Speaking Families

Pregnant in Berlin and unsure what to do next?
Midwife search, hospital choices, paperwork, appointments — the German system can feel confusing, stressful, and overwhelming, especially in a foreign language.

This 90-minute live information session in English gives you clarity, structure, and confidence — so you know exactly what to expect and what to do, step by step.

Instead of endless Googling and contradictory advice, you’ll leave with a clear roadmap for pregnancy, birth, and the first weeks with your baby in Berlin.

In this session, you will learn how to:
✔ Understand the German maternity care system
✔ Know who does what: midwives, doctors, hospitals
✔ Choose the right birth option for you in Berlin
✔ Prepare for the time after birth (postpartum & support)
✔ Handle essential paperwork without stress
✔ Decide which courses and services actually make sense for your family

This session is perfect for you if you are:

• Pregnant and living in Berlin
• An English-speaking family navigating the German system
• A first-time parent or new to Germany
• Feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or simply want clarity before making decisions

No prior knowledge needed. Just bring your questions. And register for your spot. Limited seats.

Costs: €40 per person
 

Give yourself the gift of feeling prepared, informed, and confident — before your baby arrives.

Booking

Give your baby the gift of calm, comfort, and closeness.

Join our gentle 3-week Baby Massage Course in English, designed for parents and caregivers who want to deepen their connection with their little one through nurturing touch.

In this course you will learn:

• Simple, soothing massage techniques for babies
• How to support sleep, digestion, and relaxation
• Ways to strengthen bonding and communication through touch
• A calm, welcoming space to share and learn together

Each weekly session builds confidence step by step, so you can easily continue massage at home.

• Suitable for newborns and young infants
• No prior experience needed
• Small group setting for personal guidance

Create moments of peace, trust, and love that last far beyond the course.

Duration: 3 weeks

Booking

Throughout this couples` course we will inform you about the onset of labour until you proceed to hospital, aswell as the process of labour itself, birthing positions and the stages of labour until birth.

The course will include theory and breathing and other exercises during contractions. You will get advice regards the adjustments with your newborn at home and will learn about nursing your baby.

face-to-face course 

Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Four meetings, cost for partner: 160,00 - 180,00 Euro
Instructor midwife: Miriam Strecker 

Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two meetings, cost for partner: 160,00 - 180,00 Euro
Instructor midwife: Miriam Strecker

Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
One meeting, cost for partner: 130,00 - 150,00 Euro
Instructor midwife: Melina Weissenberg

In the couples` course, only the pregnant person needs to register. The partner is automatically included.

The stated course fees apply to the accompanying person.

Book birth preparation courses

The content of this course is designed to help parents with newborns to be more confident and knowledgeable, therefore making the experience much more enjoyable.

• basic equipment for newborns (necessary products, dressing baby, helpful advice)
• professional advice & guidance (babycare from head to toe, skin care, basics of breastfeeding and complementary feeding)
• baby wearing & safe transport
• practical exercises (the first shower, (cloth) nappy change, how to hold and carry your child, kinesthetic infant handling)
• checkups & health care
• how to handle typical children diseases (fever, cold, diarrhea, skin problems)
• how do I find a good pediatrician (what to do at night/weekends, in case of need, important telephone numbers)
• Safe baby sleep & sudden infant death syndrome (updates and prevention)
• frequently asked questions

Live-Course

Saturday or Sunday

Costs: 55,00-75,00 €/ person 

Instructor: Elisa Steiner (IBCLC, pediatric & health care nurse)

Booking "step by step" - life with the newborn

This practical workshop prepares expectant parents for a confident start into breastfeeding, and the postpartum period. In a relaxed and supportive atmosphere, participants will learn evidence-based knowledge about newborn nutrition, the basics of lactation and recovery after birth. The workshop provides practical guidance and helps families create a supportive environment for healing, bonding, and adjusting to life with a baby — whether after a vaginal birth or a cesarean section.

•    preparing for breastfeeding and the first days after birth
•    first latch, breastfeeding techniques and comfortable feeding positions
•    understanding baby’s sucking behaviour and feeding cues
•    how milk production works and how often and how long to breastfeed (WHO recommendations)
•    breast massage, colostrum expression and pumping milk
•    nutrition and medication during the postpartum period and breastfeeding
•    postpartum recovery and after care for the mother's body and emotional wellbeing
•    preventing and managing common breastfeeding challenges (sore nipples, engorgement, blocked ducts)
•    breastfeeding after cesarean birth
•    responsive approaches to bottle feeding, pacifiers, and preparing for complementary feeding

Live Workshop
Duration: 3 hours
Costs: €60.00/person

Instructor: Elisa Steiner (IBCLC Lactation & Breastfeeding Consultant, Pediatric & Health Care Nurse)

Booking

Help for self-help, specifically tailored to the most common accident and emergency situations in life with children. The course is taught by a qualified team consisting of a pediatrician, a pediatric nurse, or an emergency paramedic.

• Resuscitation
• When things get tricky: What to do after burns and scalds?
• Curiosity drives you in: Help with ingesting toxic solutions, cleaning products, etc.
• Red as Blood: First aid for bleeding injuries.
• Help, how do I behave correctly in an emergency, who can help, and how do I report an emergency?

Please note that babies cannot participate in the course.

Presentclass:

One-day compact course Saturdays or Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – without baby
Duration: 1 x 5 hours

Cost: €70.00 per person 

Instructor: Luca Koch 

Book now: First Aid for Babies and Children

The early months with a baby can be deeply meaningful — but they can also be exhausting, overwhelming and full of pressure. This supportive session explores how parents can build a strong bond with their baby while also taking care of their own wellbeing.

Topics include:

• Building a secure bond without pressure to be a “perfect” parent
• Reading your baby’s cues and responding with confidence
• Parental exhaustion, stress & overwhelm
• The pressure of constant availability
• Sharing care & building a support network
• When to ask for help and where to find support in Berlin

Participants gain practical strategies and reassurance to nurture their relationship with their baby without losing sight of their own needs.

This practical workshop helps expectant and new parents carry, hold, and move their baby safely while supporting healthy physical development. Participants will have the opportunity to explore different baby carriers and wraps, receive hands-on guidance, and learn how to choose the best carrying option for their family's needs.
Topics in detail:

• healthy, ergonomic, and back-friendly babywearing with woven wraps and baby carriers
• safe transportation by car and airplane
• infant development and healthy hip positioning (including babywearing with hip dysplasia)
• Kinesthetic Infant Handling: developmentally supportive lifting, holding, turning, and carrying
• can you spoil a baby? Understanding closeness, attachment, and responsive parenting
• practical tips and individual support to adjust and optimize your own baby carrier
• overview of different baby wraps (stretchy wraps, woven wraps, ring slings) and baby carriers (full buckle, half buckle, wrap conversions, and more)

Live Workshop
Duration: 2 hours
Costs: €40.00/person
Instructor: Elisa Steiner (IBCLC Lactation Consultant, Pediatric & Health Care Nurse)

How can children develop a strong connection to their family roots while also feeling fully at home in their everyday life in Berlin?

This practical and inspiring talk explores the opportunities and challenges of raising children between cultures, including:

• Multilingualism in everyday family life
• Identity & belonging across different cultural worlds
• Racism & discrimination: supporting and empowering children
• Celebrations, rituals & religious diversity
• Setting boundaries without shame
• Different parenting approaches between parents and grandparents

Participants gain practical insights and fresh perspectives on creating a family environment where children can embrace their different identities — without having to choose between them.

Parenthood can be rewarding, but it can also bring stress, isolation and major changes in everyday life — especially when balancing family, work and the challenges of building a life in a new city.

This practical and supportive talk explores key aspects of parental wellbeing in Berlin, including:

• Overwhelm, loneliness & homesickness
• Identity changes through parenthood
• Stress related to migration, work & family life
• Guilt & unrealistic expectations
• When professional support can be helpful
• Berlin-based counselling & support services

Participants gain practical strategies, new perspectives and information about local resources to help them feel more supported, connected and confident in their parenting journey.

Starting KITA in Berlin can feel overwhelming — especially for families new to the German system. This practical session provides a clear overview of the most important steps, services and resources for families getting started.

Topics include:

• Finding a KITA & settling in (Eingewöhnung)
• Midwives, paediatricians & counselling services
• Elterngeld, Kindergeld & key contact points
• Schools & multilingual education
• Emergency numbers & medical care
• Libraries, family centres & local community resources

Participants leave with practical information, greater confidence and a clearer understanding of where to find support for their family in Berlin.

Starting school in Berlin can raise many questions for families — from language development and communication with educators to understanding everyday routines and preparing for the transition from KITA to school.

This practical session offers guidance and orientation on:

• Everyday life in Berlin KITA & schools
• Supporting language development without pressure
• Working with educators & pedagogical professionals
• Parent meetings & communication in English
• Navigating cultural misunderstandings
• Preparing for the transition from KITA to school

Participants gain practical tools, confidence and a better understanding of how to actively support their child through this important transition.

After the intense and often challenging experience of pregnancy and giving birth the pelvic floor needs and deserves special attention and support. Not only to recover its strength and get back into shape, but also to face the new challenges of everyday life with a child: the pelvic floor is extremely important for lifting, carrying and body posture.

With CANTIENICA® training you will learn how to:

• stimulate the deep layers of your pelvic floor by aligning yourself the CANTIENICA® way
• activate and interconnect the deep musculature of your whole body
• dissolve muscular tension and unburden your joints
• relieve your joints and spine while carrying your child and going through your daily routine

Find more energy, flexibility and lightness through CANTIENICA® and feel well-equipped for your everyday life with a baby!

face-to-face course - with Baby

Time: Friday, 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm
10 x 60 min
Costs: 150,00 €
Instructor: Laura Barabino (Expert CANTIENICA® training)

This offer is not subsidized by statutory health insurance companies.

Booking Postpartum pelvic floor gymnastics – Cantienica

Booking

Are you looking for meaningful exchange, new connections, and a place where all your questions about your baby are welcome? Our open baby meetup offers exactly that, easygoing, warm, and close to everyday life.

For mothers, fathers, and other caregivers with babies aged 0–12 months, this is a safe space where you can:

• connect with other parents and share experiences
• gain confidence in caring for your baby
• discuss individual questions directly with a midwife
• take away practical tips for daily life
• meet other english-speaking parents

The sessions are intentionally open in structure, leaving plenty of room for your own topics, concerns, and questions.

Your baby is always welcome and can simply be themselves.

What you gain from the meetup:

• more calm and confidence in family life
• strengthened trust in yourself and your baby
• early support when uncertainties arise

Practical details:

• join at any time
• voluntary contribution: €5–10
• about twice a month

Guided by an experienced midwife
Come by, recharge your energy, and connect with other families—we look forward to seeing you! 

Booking

Introducing Solid Foods & Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) - Baby’s First Spoonfuls, when and how to start?
This practical workshop supports parents in confidently introducing complementary foods and understanding their baby's nutritional needs. Questions like “When should my baby start eating?”, “Which foods are suitable for the first meals?” and “How long should breastfeeding continue?” are common during this transition.

• Participants will receive evidence-based guidance and practical tips for healthy nutrition beyond the recommendations often influenced by the baby food industry.
• readiness for complementary feeding: developmental signs and the right time to start
• taste development and learning to eat
• BLW basics: baby-led weaning and responsive introduction of solids
• mindful eating at the family table: spoon feeding or BLW finger foods?
• first foods: suitable choices and nutritional requirements
• common concerns about BLW, choking prevention, and safe eating
• allergy prevention and introduction of different foods
• important nutrients, vitamins, and balanced infant nutrition
• vegetarian and vegan complementary feeding
• healthy baby teeth: teething and oral hygiene

Live Workshop
Duration: 2 hours
Costs: €40.00/person
Instructor: Elisa Steiner (IBCLC Lactation & Breastfeeding Consultant, Pediatric & Health Care Nurse)

This practical workshop provides expectant and new parents with the knowledge and confidence to use modern cloth diapers and explore Elimination Communication (EC) as a natural, responsive approach to infant care.

• benefits of cloth diapering for baby, family, and the environment
• overview of modern cloth diapering systems (AIO, AI2, pocket diapers, prefolds, flats, fitted diapers & covers)
• choosing the right system for your family's lifestyle
• washing, storing, and caring for cloth diapers
• healthy baby skin & preventing diaper rash
• introduction to Elimination Communication (EC)
• recognizing your baby's natural elimination cues
• practical EC positions and integrating EC into everyday family life

Live Course
Duration: 2 hours
Costs: 40.00 €/person
Instructor: Elisa Steiner (IBCLC Lactation Consultant, Pediatric & Health Care Nurse)