The first misconception that's worth clearing up is that children were, as they always have been, both loved and cherished by their parents. I've explored this a little bit elsewhere, but it bears repeating. Though there were culturally different ways of showing that love, it was as powerful as it is now. The number of children a couple had didn't reduce the amount of love they had, either.
I think one of my best friend's moms summed it up really well. She said she'd love someone to walk the dog for onceânot because she doesn't love her dog, but because she always does it, and I'm sure no one really notices.