This paper examines the impact of two major family policies on maternal health, using rich claims data from the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD). We report a significant short-term impact of childcare on diagnosed respiratory diseases and heterogeneous effects on mental health. Childcare tends to reduce diagnoses of mental disorders and the use of psychotherapy among mothers with a history of mental disorders before childbirth, those with a strong attachment to the labor market and those who live in counties with low childcare provision. Conversely, low-educated mothers exhibit short-term increases in mental disorders and antidepressant use. Parental benefits alter the timing of respiratory diseases and slightly reduce mental disorders and their treatments in the first year after childbirth.
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