In The Giver, the assignment of Birthmother is frowned upon. It is a job that has little value to the community. Mother basically scolds Lilly when she wishes to be assigned Birthmother. She says there is very little honor in that assignment. Father tells Lilly that if she wants a valued position that deals with working with children, she should hope for the assignment of Nurturer.
The answer to this question can be found in chapter 3. Jonas's father has just brought home little baby Gabriel, and Lily is completely overjoyed with the baby. She thinks he is adorable. In fact, she thinks the baby (or babies in general) are so cute that she expresses a desire to perhaps someday be a Birthmother. Lily's mother is not happy with that statement, and she sternly reprimands her daughter.
"Lily!" mother spoke very sharply. "Don't say that. There is very little honor in that Assignment."
Lily argues back with evidence that she heard from a friend. Lily has heard that Birthmothers get fed well and get to play games all day long. She thinks the life sounds nice. Lily's mother counters the argument by saying that the Birthmothers get three years of that treatment. In those three years, the Birthmother will give birth to three children. After that, the Birthmothers become Laborers until too old and weak to work. Essentially, Birthmothers are human incubators for three years, and then they are "sentenced" to hard manual labor. It's not the ideal, easy life that Lily suspects. Lily's father then chimes in and reminds Lily that the Birthmothers don't even get to see their children. The children are taken to the Nurturers for their care.
If you enjoy the little ones so much, you should hope for an Assignment as Nurturer.
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