The national longitudinal study of children, ‘Growing Up in Ireland’, gives a picture of what life is like for nine-month-old infants and their parents

WHEN IT COMES to combining career and babies, many women still pay a price one way or the other – they feel their job has a detrimental effect on their family life or family responsibilities have a negative impact on their work.

This is confirmed in the latest report from the national longitudinal study of children, Growing Up in Ireland,which was published yesterday. For the first time, it gives us a comprehensive picture of what life is like for nine-month-old babies and their parents.

The study’s co-director, Prof Sheila Greene, says as a woman “who has been around the block”, she finds it “disappointing” that things have not improved much for mothers who juggle parenting with paid employment.

Three-quarters of the mothers surveyed were working outside the home before they became pregnant. Of those, 56 per cent had returned to work by the time the baby was nine months old – 30 per cent full-time and 26 per cent part-time. Mothers with lower levels of education returned to work earlier.

The women in higher income groups, as well as those with higher education, were more likely to report that they had missed out on home or family activities because of their work. In contrast, mothers from the lowest income group were most likely to say they had turned down work activities or opportunities because of family responsibilities.

These key findings from a survey involving parents of 11,100 nine-month-old babies show how the pregnancies progressed, the kind of births they had and the early impact of the socio-economic conditions they were born into.

Even before conception, differences between children emerge in terms of whether they were planned or unplanned. While just over half of the infants were an intended pregnancy, 41 were not planned at the time and one in 10 mothers had “no intention of ever getting pregnant” when they conceived the baby.

This, the report points out, can have implications for the baby’s development. Women who are prepared for pregnancy are more likely to improve their diet and alter smoking and drinking habits.

The true value of a longitudinal study lies in tracking how differences identified in this first survey may affect the children as they grow up. With the families to be interviewed again when the children reach three years old, will there be significant variations between, for instance, the 5 per cent of children who had a low birth weight (less than 2.5kg) compared with those of average birth weight (3.47kg)? Or between those born into lone parent households (14 per cent) and those of married parents (71 per cent)?

Generally, the babies seem to have got off to a very positive start as the vast majority of mothers reported their infant’s health to be good at birth (97 per cent) and at nine months this had risen to 99 per cent. A quarter reported some sort of infant illness, the most common being eczema or other skin allergies (12 per cent).

The contribution of immigrants to Ireland’s high birth rate of recent years is highlighted by the fact that 27 per cent of mothers and 24 per cent of fathers were not born here.

“There are striking differences between Irish and non-Irish parents in terms of parenting,” says Greene. None more than when it comes to breastfeeding.

Mothers who had not been born in Ireland were much more likely to breastfeed their infants than Irish-born mothers – 83 per cent compared with 48 per cent. Only half the babies were being breastfed when they left hospital and their mothers typically stopped breastfeeding by three months. “We still need to understand why there is such a resistance among Irish women to breastfeeding and what the sources of that are,” she comments.

Among those who had never breastfed, the most frequent reason for not doing so was “formula feeding preferable” (48 per cent), followed by “inconvenience/fatigue” (17 per cent). The most common reason for discontinuing breastfeeding was “not enough milk/hungry baby” (37 per cent).

While fathers do not figure prominently in this first report, there is plenty more data from the survey to come, explains Greene. However, a big shift in male attitudes to parenting is clear.

Fifty years ago most men would not have been seen dead pushing a pram; they regarded their principal role as breadwinner. More than two-thirds of fathers in this survey said showing love and affection was the most important thing they could do for their child. Just 3 per cent saw taking care of the child financially as their top priority.

Diverse childcare was being used by the 38 per cent of mothers whose infants were not being looked after full- time by a parent. Some 16 per cent went to relatives, usually grandparents, while 11 per cent of the infants were in centre-based care.

“People are cobbling together forms of care, in maybe a very unsatisfactory way, which causes them and the baby stress,” comments Greene.

“I think it is getting worse in recessionary times. Mothers can’t afford the full-time daycare because it is so expensive, so they are saying ‘I’ll take half a day off’ or ‘I’ll ask my neighbour to mind the baby’. “It is becoming more difficult to manage the childcare issue,” she adds, and it also shows the extent of unregulated childcare out there.

What impact, if any, will this have on the children? Years down the line, Growing Up in Irelandshould be able to answer that question.

The full report is available on growingup.ie/infantpublications

BABY TALK: SOME KEY FINDINGS FROM ‘GROWING UP IN IRELAND – THE INFANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES’

14 per cent of infants lived in lone-parent families.

Average age of mothers was 32 and that of fathers was 35.

One in 10 mothers had “no intention of ever getting pregnant” when they conceived the baby.

58 per cent were born by normal vaginal birth; 27 per cent delivered by Caesarean, 9 per cent with the help of suction and 5 per cent with forceps assistance.

97 per cent of mothers said their baby was in “good health” at birth.

49 per cent of babies were being breastfed when they left the hospital.

69 per cent of fathers rated “showing their child love and affection” as the most important thing they could do for their child.

72 per cent of mothers said they got “enough” help and support from family and friends outside the home.

One in 10 mothers reported the infant’s sleeping patterns were a “large or moderate” problem.

27 per cent of mothers said their infant’s crying “sometimes” got on their nerves, while for 1 per cent it was “often or always”.

56 per cent of mothers working outside the home had returned to work by the time their baby was nine months old.