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Eine Schwangerschaft ist nicht nur eine einzigartige Erfahrung, sie kann auch rechtliche und soziale Fragen aufwerfen und wichtige Entscheidungen nötig machen. Einige dieser Entscheidungen solltest oder musst du vor der Geburt treffen. Für andere kannst du dir bis nach der Geburt deines Kindes Zeit lassen. Nützliche Beratung dafür findest du bei den Frühen Hilfen. Dort kannst du dich nicht nur besonders gut informieren. Du erhältst auch Unterstützung, wenn dich die vielen Fragen und formalen Schritte überfordern. Rat findest du auch bei den Behörden deines Wohnorts, die für werdende Mütter und Eltern zuständig sind.

You've just survived childbirth and get to take your newborn baby home. You'll already have to start dealing with the authorities. One of the most important documents you need to take care of is the official birth certificate issued by the registration office (Geburtsurkunde). To be able to apply for it, you need the initial certificate issued by the hospital, birth centre or doctor, which, in Germany, is something like an initial birth certificate.

Many babies are born a few days before the calculated due date. This is perfectly normal. However, if your baby was born before the 37th week of pregnancy or weighed less than 2500 grams at birth, they are considered premature. This not only changes your living situation, but also some of the key data regarding your social security. For example, to adjust your maternity leave period (Mutterschutzfrist) or maternity pay (Mutterschaftsgeld), you need a certificate. It's called a certificate of premature birth.

For heterosexual married couples, the issue of paternity is quite simple. If a woman has a child, her husband is automatically the legal father. It is different for unmarried couples, however. Then the biological father is not automatically the legal father. To be acknowledged as such, he must officially acknowledge paternity. That is, he must have it publicly recorded with an official governmental agency. Many hetero couples choose to do the paternity recognition (Vaterschaftsanerkennung) before the birth. However, it is also possible to do it any time afterwards. Recognition before birth has the advantage that the father is entered on the birth certificate and in the birth register at the same time. If this happens later, the civil registration office (Standesamt) has to issue a new, corrected certificate, which costs extra.

Custody governs who has responsibility for a child. This involves, for example, the question of who legally represents the child. Do you want to do this alone or together with your partner? Custody regulates, among other things, who is allowed to make important medical decisions for a child, or who is responsible for questions relating to daycare or school attendance. Also, if financial matters relating to the child need to be resolved, the person with custody decides. In addition, custody is a custodial obligation. It doesn't end until your child reaches the age of majority at 18. The people who have custody over a child are also responsible for ensuring that the child grows up safely and without abuse.