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Pregnancy & Baby

The first year, starting nine months early.

Nothing changes life like the first baby and nothing generates more conflicting advice. This section keeps it clear: pregnancy week by week, birth choices, the baby products you need and the ones you do not, and how maternity care works in different countries.

Try it: Due date calculator

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Due date calculator

Your date, your week and how big the baby is right now.

Pregnancy

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Forty weeks of questions. We cover the check ups and scans by country, what to eat and avoid, working while pregnant, travelling while pregnant and the symptoms that are normal versus the ones that need a call. Calm, current and written by people who remember what it was like.

Good to know

  • Folic acid from the moment you plan to try. Most of its work is done before you know you are pregnant.
  • Flying is fine for most women until around 36 weeks. Check the airline's rule, they differ.
  • The second trimester is the time to move, travel or renovate. The third is for none of those.

Guides in the works

  • Pregnancy week by week: what happens and what to dosoon
  • Prenatal care in Spain: public and private routes explainedsoon
  • Travelling while pregnant: rules, insurance and comfortsoon
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Birth

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Hospital, birth centre or home, midwife or obstetrician, epidural or not: birth choices depend on where you live and what is available. We explain the options in different countries, what a birth plan is for and what happens in the hours after.

Good to know

  • Visit the hospital and ask about partner access, rooms and what happens if the birth is complicated.
  • A birth plan is a list of preferences, not a script. Write it, then hold it loosely.
  • Pack the hospital bag at 34 weeks. Include a phone charger with a long cable.

Guides in the works

  • Giving birth in Spain: how the public and private systems worksoon
  • Birth plans that actually helpsoon
  • The first 48 hours: what to expect for parentssoon
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Baby products

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The baby industry sells a thousand things and a baby needs about thirty. We list them, rate them and explain what can wait. Cots, car seats, carriers, monitors, bottles and the small things that make the first months easier.

Good to know

  • Buy the car seat, a safe sleep space, a carrier and clothes. Everything else can wait until you know your baby.
  • Register for gifts with a list. Otherwise you will get eleven blankets.
  • Rent or borrow the expensive short use items: bassinet, bouncer, baby bath.

Guides in the works

  • The newborn essentials list: thirty things, not three hundredsoon
  • Baby carriers compared: wraps, slings and structured carrierssoon
  • Safe sleep: cots, bassinets, mattresses and what to avoidsoon
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Clinics

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Maternity hospitals and clinics differ in philosophy, facilities and how they treat partners. We cover how to choose one, what public versus private means for birth in different countries, and how to navigate the system as a foreign family.

Good to know

  • Ask for the caesarean rate and the epidural availability at night. Both tell you a lot.
  • Private insurance often has a waiting period for maternity. Check it before you need it.
  • The paediatrician check at the hospital is the first of many. Get the record in writing before you leave.

Guides in the works

  • Maternity hospitals in Mallorca: public and private optionssoon
  • Choosing a clinic: the questions that mattersoon
  • Health insurance and maternity: what is covered wheresoon
Tell me when they land
Quick answers

Questions parents ask about pregnancy & baby.

How is my due date calculated?

The standard method adds 280 days, or 40 weeks, to the first day of your last period. An early ultrasound can adjust it. Only about four percent of babies arrive on the exact date; most come within two weeks either side.

Can I give birth in Spain as a foreign resident?

Yes. Residents registered with social security use the public system free of charge. Non residents and those with private insurance use private clinics. Many hospitals in Mallorca have English speaking midwives.

What do I really need before the baby arrives?

A car seat, a safe place to sleep, nappies, a few outfits, a way to feed and a carrier or pushchair. Everything else can be bought in the first weeks once you know what your baby and your life actually need.

How long is maternity leave in Europe?

It varies widely: sixteen weeks per parent in Spain, fourteen weeks plus parental leave of up to three years in Germany, a year in the UK with partial pay. Check the current rules for your country and employer.

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