Checklist

Prepare

Read the maternity chapter of your insuranceCheck the waiting period, C-section coverage, NICU limits, and the newborn enrollment window. Get the details in writing from HR or the broker.
Add maternity coverage if you are still inside the waiting periodWaiting periods of 10–24 months are common. A positive test does not start the clock.
Complete a full physical examinationCheck thyroid function, iron levels, vaccines, and dental care. Confirm that regular medicines are available in Beijing.
Read your contract for maternity leave and housingLeave for foreign staff is set by the contract. If housing is provided, ask whether a two-bedroom is possible.
If you are unmarried, mixed nationality, or one parent is away, read that guide nowHospital windows and embassies treat these cases differently. Confirm before you 建卡.
Set up a working local payment methodWeChat Pay or Alipay with a passport, plus cash. Test a small payment before the file day.
Get maternity leave and housing in writing from HRAsk what happens if the contract is not renewed. Read the contract-pregnancy guide.

Open a pregnancy file (建卡) at the hospital where you plan to deliverIf the hospital is 北医三院, follow the walkthrough. Bring passports, permits, a marriage certificate if you have one, and the address on the permit.
Tour the ward and confirm the partner rule in writingAsk who may enter the room, what happens in a C-section, where your baby sleeps, and how the birth certificate is issued.
Arrange a Mandarin speaker for public-hospital visitsA spouse, a friend, or a paid interpreter. Do not rely on improvised medical Chinese at the registration window.
Read your embassy’s birth page and open any required accountsCRBA, consular registration, and passport photos. Use the embassy guide for your nationality.
Pack a hospital bag that assumes your partner waits outsideDocument folder, power bank, baby clothes, snacks, and a working local payment method.
Interview a yuesao (postpartum nanny) or decide you will not hire oneUsually 26 or 42 days. Confirm nights, groceries, and the contract. ¥15,000–40,000 is a common range in Beijing.
Write down the night-emergency plan before the due date120, your nearest public emergency department, and whether United Family or OASIS is an option. Keep a local payment method ready.
Book a medical translator if you will use a public hospitalAgree the fee and hours. A friend who speaks some English is not enough for a 建卡 morning.

Check name spellings on the medical birth certificate before you leaveNames must match the passports. Errors in Roman letters are costly to correct.
Register the birth at Exit-Entry / the Public Security BureauThe law gives you 60 days from the birth. Go early. Your child does not receive a hukou, but the birth still must be registered.
Apply for your child’s passport at your embassyThen apply for a Chinese visa in that passport before you book a flight home.
Add your baby to insurance inside the enrollment windowSome plans allow 14 or 30 days. Missing the window can leave NICU care uncovered.

Start the vaccine book at the community health stationFollow the first-year medical guide. Register where you live, not only at the birth hospital.
Decide on household help before both of you return to workWrite a one-page daily routine in Chinese. An agency hire and a friend-of-a-friend hire have different risks.
Look at a two-bedroom while you still have energyOne-bedroom apartments often feel small by month four. If housing is provided by an employer, ask about a larger unit.

Need the numbers behind a line? Open the planner.