From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mom, Mommy, Moms, and Mum redirect here. For other uses, see Mom (disambiguation), Mommy (disambiguation), Moms (disambiguation), and Mum (disambiguation). "Motherhood" redirects here. For the upcoming comedy film, see Motherhood (film). "Mothering" redirects here. For the bimonthly parenting magazine, see Mothering (magazine). For other uses, see Mother (disambiguation). Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange A mother is a biological and/or social female parent of an offspring.[1] Because of the complexity and differences of a mothers' social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition. Contents [hide] 1 Biological mother 2 Surrogate mother 3 Title 4 Social role 5 US Motherhood Statistics 6 Religious 7 Synonyms and translations 8 Famous motherhood figures 9 See also 10 References 11 Notes Biological mother In the case of a mammal such as a human, the biological mother gestates a fertilized ovum. As a viable fertilised ovum or "embryo" ideally develops into a fetus. Gestation occurs in the mother's uterus from conception until (under ideal circumstances, barring illness or defect) the fetus is sufficiently developed to be born. The mother experiences labor and gives birth. Once the child is born, the mother produces milk via the lactation process. The mother's breast milk is the source of anti-bodies for the infant's immune system and commonly the sole source of nutrition for the first year or more of the child's life.[2][3][4] Surrogate mother Main article: Surrogacy A surrogate mother is, commonly, a woman who bears the embryo to term for a couple biologically unable to have children. Upon the child’s birth, the surrogate mother surrenders all her rights and responsibilities to the child[5] with sole intention of surrendering the infant to at least one of the biological parents. [6][7] Title Monumento a la Madre in Mexico City. The inscription translates as: "To her who loves us before she meets us." The term mother is often given to a woman other than the biological parent, especially if she who fulfills the main social role in raising the child. This is commonly either an adoptive mother or a stepmother (the biologically unrelated wife of a child's father). In lesbian cultures, a non-biological mother, or so-called "othermother" exists. Currently, with advances in reproductive technologies, the function of biological motherhood can be split between the genetic mother (who provides the ovum) and the gestational (commonly known as a surrogate) mother (who carries the pregnancy), and it is also poneither will serve as the social mother (the one who rears the child). A healthy connection between a mother and a child form a secure base, from which the child may later venture forth into the world.[8] Social role See also: Sociology of motherhood Mothers have historically fulfilled the primary role in raising children, but since the late 20th century, the role of the father in child care has been given greater prominence and social acceptance in some Western countries.[9][10] The social role and experience of motherhood varies greatly depending upon location. The organization Save the Children has (controversially) ranked the countries of the world, and found that Scandinavian countries are the safest places to give birth, whereas countries in sub-Saharan Africa are the least safest to give birth[11]. This study argues a mother in the bottom ten ranked countries is over 750 times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a mother in the top ten ranked countries, and a mother in the bottom ten ranked countries is 28 times more likely to see her child die before reaching their first birthday. Mothers are more likely than fathers to encourage assimilative and communion-enhancing patterns in their children.[12] Mothers are more likely than fathers to acknowledge their children's contributions in conversation.[13][14][15][16] The way mothers speak to their children is better suited to support very young children in their efforts to understand speech (in context of the reference English) than fathers.[13] Since the 1970s, in vitro fertilization has made pregnancy possible at ages well beyond "natural" limits, generating ethical controversy and forcing significant changes in the social meaning of motherhood.[17][18] This is, however a position highly biased by Western world locality: outside the Western world, in-vitro fertilization has far less prominence, importance or currency compared to primary, basic healthcare, womens' basic health, reducing infant mortality and the prevention of life-threatening diseases such as polio, typhus and malaria. US Motherhood Statistics Assorted and non-inclusive statistics on motherhood from the U.S. Census Bureau.[19] 82.5 million women are mothers of all ages in the United States. 68% of women aged 15 to 44 are mothers in Mississippi, considered high in comparison to a national average for same age group of 56%. 82% of women aged 40 to 44 years old are mothers. 4.0 million women give birth annually, approximately 425,000 were teenage mothers (aged 15 to 19) and more than 100,000 were aged 40 or over. 25.1 years of age is the national average age of women for their first births, a record high an increase of 4 years since 1970. 40% of annual births are the mother’s first.
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