Your first month with a baby in Israel

Leaving the hospital

Before you can leave, you need a rear-facing infant car seat properly installed in your car. This is a legal requirement enforced at discharge — hospital staff will not let you take your baby home without one. If you haven't sorted a car seat yet, now is the moment.

A routine vaginal birth typically means a 48-hour hospital stay; a caesarean section is usually three to four days. Your discharge paperwork will include a summary for your kupat cholim (health fund) and a record of any vaccinations given in hospital (the BCG and hepatitis B shots are usually offered before you leave).

Make sure you receive the official birth notification (teudat leida) before you walk out — you'll need it for the next steps.

Registering your baby

The hospital reports the birth to the relevant authorities, but there are two things you need to do yourself fairly soon after you get home.

First, register the baby with your kupat cholim (health fund). Each fund has its own process — some let you do this online or via their app, others require a visit to a local clinic. Your baby needs to be a registered member before you can book appointments or use services.

Second, register the birth and the baby's name with the Misrad HaPnim (Ministry of Interior) to receive the baby's teudat zehut (identity document). Olim should also check with the Jewish Agency or their absorption centre about any additional registration relevant to their immigration status. There are time limits, so don't leave this for weeks.

As for the birth grant from Bituach Leumi (National Insurance) — you don't need to do anything. The hospital notifies Bituach Leumi, and the grant is deposited directly into the bank account on file for the mother. If it hasn't arrived within a few weeks, call Bituach Leumi to follow up.

Tipat Chalav — your main port of call for a healthy baby

Tipat Chalav (literally "drop of milk," but effectively a well-baby clinic) is a free, nurse-run service that provides routine growth and development checks and administers the national vaccination schedule throughout childhood. These clinics are run by your local municipality or the kupah, and you don't need a doctor's referral.

Your first Tipat Chalav visit is usually scheduled at around two weeks old. The nurse will weigh your baby, check feeding, and give you a chance to ask all the questions you've been accumulating. After that, visits follow the national schedule — roughly monthly for the first year.

This is where routine baby health happens in Israel. Unless your baby is actually unwell, Tipat Chalav is your first stop — not the pediatrician. Getting comfortable with your local clinic early makes everything smoother.

Many Tipat Chalav nurses speak some English, but if yours doesn't, it's fine to bring someone to help translate for the first visit. You'll quickly get the hang of it.

Feeding support

Breastfeeding support in Israel is genuinely good. Lactation consultants (yoatzot hanikah) are available through most kupot — check your fund's app or call your local clinic to find out how to access one. Some funds cover the consultation at low or no cost.

If you choose or need to formula-feed, formula is widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies. Israeli formulas meet EU standards. Your Tipat Chalav nurse can guide you on amounts and schedules.

The first days and weeks of feeding — whatever method — can be hard. Ask for help early rather than waiting until you're exhausted and worried.

When your baby seems unwell

New parents worry — it's normal, and with a newborn in the first weeks it is also correct to take anything that concerns you seriously. Don't talk yourself out of getting a baby checked.

For non-emergency concerns outside clinic hours, your kupah has an after-hours telephone advice line staffed by nurses and doctors. The number is in your kupah's app. Clalit, Maccabi, and Meuhedet also have children's nurse lines that are particularly helpful for worried new parents.

For situations that need to be seen but aren't life-threatening, Terem (urgent-care clinics) have English-friendly staff and no appointment needed. They are a reasonable option when the clinic is closed and you don't want to go to an emergency room.

For a genuine emergency — difficulty breathing, a very high fever in a baby under three months, seizure, or anything that feels serious — call MDA (Magen David Adom, the Israeli ambulance service) on 101, or go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department. Do not wait. With newborns especially, it is always better to be seen and reassured than to hesitate.

• Kupah after-hours advice line — number is in your kupah's app.
• Terem urgent-care clinics — walk-in, no referral needed, English friendly.
• MDA (Magen David Adom) — ambulance and emergency line, dial 101.
• Hospital emergency room — go directly for anything that looks serious.

Looking after yourself

Your maternity leave (dmei leda, paid parental leave from Bituach Leumi) has already started — it runs from the birth. The length and amount depend on how much you worked before the birth; check the Bituach Leumi website or the tool below for current figures. Paternity leave entitlement has also expanded in recent years.

The first month is hard. Sleep deprivation is real, the adjustment is enormous, and if you're far from family it can feel isolating. Finding other English-speaking parents in your area genuinely helps — Facebook groups for Anglo parents in most Israeli cities are very active and full of people who have been exactly where you are.

Getting outside, even briefly, makes a difference. Israel has beautiful weather for much of the year. A short walk with the pram, a park, a coffee — these small things matter.

If you're feeling persistently low, anxious, or unlike yourself, please speak to your doctor. Postpartum mood disorders are common and very treatable. Your kupah's family doctor is the right first call.