MOTHER’S HOUSEHOLD DUTIES, CESSATION AND RESUMPTION OF
The extent to which the native and foreign mothers in Johnstown relinquished a part of their household duties as the time for their confinement approached is shown below:
| Table 26.—Distribution of Births According to Time of the Mother’s Relinquishment of Part of Household Duties Before Confinement, by Nativity of Mother. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| TIME OF RELINQUISHMENT OF PART OF HOUSEHOLD DUTIES BEFORE CONFINEMENT. | All births. | To native mothers. | To foreign mothers. |
| All mothers | 1,551 | 860 | 691 |
| No household duties relinquished to day of confinement | 1,350 | 695 | 655 |
| Part of duties relinquished: | |||
| Less than 7 days before confinement | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 to 13 days before confinement | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 2 weeks to 1 month before confinement | 16 | 12 | 4 |
| 1 month or more before confinement | 174 | 146 | 28 |
| Had no household duties | 1 | 1 | |
Among the 174 babies of mothers who relinquished part of their household duties a month before confinement, the infant mortality rate was 112.5, as compared with 136.7 for those of other mothers.
| Table 27.—Distribution of Births and of Deaths During First Year, and Infant Mortality Rate, According to Time of Relinquishment of Part of Household Duties of Mother Before Confinement. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIME OF RELINQUISHMENT OF PART OF HOUSEHOLD DUTIES BEFORE CONFINEMENT. | All births. | Live births. | Deaths during first year. | Infant mortality rate. |
| All mothers | 1,551 | 1,463 | 196 | 134.0 |
| No cessation or less than 1 month | 1,376 | 1,302 | 178 | 136.7 |
| 1 month or more | 171 | 160 | 18 | 112.5 |
| No housework | 1 | 1 | ||
To what extent the relinquishment of household duties at a given time directly affected the health of the child can not be definitely shown. A relation may exist, but on the other hand the difference in the mortality rate may be due to the fact that the mothers could afford to give consideration to their condition and escape some of their heaviest tasks as their pregnancy approached its end, and were members of families who were thoughtful of them and relieved them of these tasks or employed extra household assistance at such times.
Another indication of intelligence and of comfortable surroundings is the care given a mother in the early days of her baby’s life, particularly if she is a nursing mother. The duration of her rest period before the resumption of part of her household duties is one measure of this. The foreign mothers, with less education, more numerous and arduous tasks, less opportunity for leisure, and smaller incomes, begin to resume their housework sooner than the native mothers with young babies.
| Table 28.—Distribution of Live Births and of Deaths During First Year, and Infant Mortality Rate, According to Time of Mother Resuming Part of Household Duties After Confinement, by Nativity of Mother. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIME OF RESUMING PART OF HOUSEHOLD DUTIES AFTER CONFINEMENT. | LIVE BIRTHS TO— | DEATHS DURING FIRST YEAR. | |||
| All mothers. | Native mothers. | Foreign mothers. | Total. | Infant mortality rate. | |
| Total | 1,463 | 815 | 648 | 196 | 134.0 |
| 8 days or less | 467 | 44 | 423 | 79 | 169.2 |
| 9 to 13 days | 560 | 446 | 114 | 70 | 125.0 |
| 14 days or more | 427 | 318 | 109 | 41 | 96.0 |
| Mother died or not reported | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | ([[28]]) |
[28]. Total number of live births less than 50; base therefore considered too small to use in computing an infant mortality rate.
The fact that a mother takes up her housework in the early days of her baby’s life does not necessarily increase the danger of its death. In some cases, however, mothers stated that the quantity of their breast milk was noticeably impaired when they got up and resumed their work too soon. Naturally this would affect the baby’s nutrition. In other cases a mother’s cares and duties may be so absorbing that she can not give the baby full attention. Whatever the exact explanation, attention should be called to the greater frequency of infant deaths when the mother resumed household duties very soon after childbirth.
A statement of the time of the mother’s resumption of household duties in full, like that giving the time of resumption in part, shows that the native mothers have the longer period of rest.
| Table 29.—Distribution of Live Births and of Deaths During First Year, and Infant Mortality Rate, According to Time of Mother Resuming all Household Duties After Confinement, by Nativity of Mother. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIME OF RESUMING ALL HOUSEHOLD DUTIES AFTER CONFINEMENT. | LIVE BIRTHS TO— | DEATHS DURING FIRST YEAR. | |||
| All mothers. | Native mothers. | Foreign mothers. | Total. | Infant mortality rate. | |
| Total | 1,463 | 815 | 648 | 196 | 134.0 |
| 8 days or less | 219 | 13 | 206 | 37 | 168.9 |
| 9 to 13 days | 182 | 132 | 50 | 30 | 164.8 |
| 14 days or more | 1,053 | 663 | 390 | 123 | 116.8 |
| Mother died or not reported | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | ([[29]]) |
[29]. Total live births less than 50; base therefore considered too small to use in computing an infant mortality rate.
The infant mortality rates for all mothers in the group just referred to, according to the time of resuming housework in full after childbirth, show fewer infant deaths proportionately when the mother has had a longer rest; that is, a rest of two weeks or more.