What value does Hester place upon her life?

Chapter 13

"Was existence worth accepting, even to the happiest among them? As concerned her own individual existence, she had long ago decided in the negative, and dismissed the point as settled."

Hester considered life worth living on in regards to her job as a mother and caregiver, but at one she even considered that too much and considered not only committing suicide but "sending Pearl to Heaven," as well.