I been doing a little research the last couple of days and it hit me about how high the infant mortality rate was back in the early 1900's. Some families I looked at lost 3-4 children either at birth or shortly afterwards. My own Grandmother lost 2 children as infants. I suppose we take child birth in hospitals for granted these days compared to the early 20th century where it was done by midwifes with no formal training at home in the villages. Some times a hospital could be hours away.
Speaking to my Dad about one such midwife he was saying it was a trade passed down from one generation of female member to the next....something we find extraordinary but I suppose in those days it was an honour to hold such a position in the village.
I suppose other things that caused deaths in infants was influenza out breaks which I have found has coincided with many of these child deaths.
Even with the heart break of losing children they still kept on having children with families numbering 8-10 children very often compared with modern families where if they contained 4-5 children they are considered big.
One family member had 16 children that lived out of a possible 18. He married the first time and had 8 children and when his wife passed away remarried and had another 8 children with his second wife. His youngest child was born when he around 63 years old. All I have to say is thank god for TV.
