How to insure during pregnancy and after?

It really depends on your situation. I already have a medical indication due to a past C-section, so I can't give birth at home anyway. That means giving birth in the hospital is already covered by the basic insurance without any out-of-pocket costs. I didn't want extra postpartum care hours and didn't need them either, so the out-of-pocket cost for that was manageable (cheaper than paying for supplemental insurance for a year). I still had a maternity kit from my previous birth since I had a C-section then. And otherwise, that doesn't cost the world either. I also don't use the extra benefits you're insured for. So I didn't do it.
But every situation is different, and you need to figure out for yourself what works best for you.

As soon as I can, I’m switching to VGZ with the supplementary insurance. It covers 100% of the out-of-pocket costs for maternity care, hospital birth without medical necessity, and the days after, plus there’s coverage for a lactation consultant. They also reimburse most of the cost of buying an electric breast pump.

I think the extras usually add up to 500-600 euros easily. The difference for that year between my current insurance and the VGZ policy is 335 euros for that year (but that extra package also includes more physiotherapy, foot treatments, contraception, etc., which I don’t have right now).

So, think about what you personally feel you need. I know myself—I’d rather be insured against risks, and I’ll probably get a pump (so 80 euros discount). If I have issues with BV, I want expert care (covered by insurance), and I definitely want to give birth in the hospital if possible, stay as long as possible, and have maternity care for as long as possible. So for me, it’s definitely cheaper to switch. Just do some good research.

Of course, we don’t know what the package will look like next year.