Immigrants Make Up 15 Percent Of New Minnesota Mothers

A national report shows that immigrant mothers made up more than 15 percent of new mothers in Minnesota in 2002.That compares with just 5 percent in 1990. The numbers were included in a report by the Center for Immigration Studies. Some of the state's hospitals are taking measures to keep up with the need of immigrant mothers. The Regions Hospital in St. Paul, for example, prepares folders of new baby information in five languages: Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Cambodian and Vietnamese. A report by the State Demographic Center in 2003 says foreign-born women in Minnesota had on average three children during their lifetime, compared with two children for women born in the United States.