Building health across generations: childbirth, childcare and maternal health

Family dynamics and institutions play significant roles in shaping individuals’ health. We evaluate the short- and long-term effects of (1) motherhood and (2) public early childcare on maternal health. Our results align with an intra-household disease spread from children to mothers in the first years after childbirth, which is further amplified by childcare availability. Additionally, mothers exhibit deteriorated mental health from the medium run, particularly concerning depression diagnoses, due to the psychological demands of motherhood. In contrast, our findings reveal long-term improvements for most health conditions after childbirth, which is supported by childcare provision. Specifically, childcare availability leads to persistent reductions in non-communicable diseases such as obesity, back pain, and hypertension, and, for multiparous and older mothers, in mental health.