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Labour + Industry

Weekend Listening: 'The Business of Baby'

A free audiobook chapter from a provocative read on who profits off little peanut.

Jennifer Margulis 22 Jun 2013TheTyee.ca

Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O: The Oprah Magazine, and on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine. She has condemned child slavery on live prime-time TV in France, worked on a child survival campaign in Niger, and taught American literature in inner city Atlanta. A Boston native, she lives in Ashland, Oregon with her husband and four children.

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An eye-opening read. Baby photo via Shutterstock.

The audiobook sample you are about to listen to is a chapter from Jennifer Margulis's book The Business of Baby.

The chapter, called "Diaper Deals," is narrated by Rebecca Jenkins.

In the book, journalist Margulis makes the provocative argument that several of the current cultural practices of pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year of a baby's life are not based on the best evidence or the most modern science, in large part due to corporate interests that have flooded the American medical system.

"Time and time again, corporate profits and private interests trump what is best for moms and babies," Margulis argues.

The proliferation of C-sections, overuse of ultrasound, schedule of infant vaccines, manipulative tactics of the formula and diaper industries, and even ingredient lists of products like prenatal vitamins and Johnson & Johnson baby wash are closely questioned in Margulis's book.

Thanks to friends at Post Hypnotic for allowing us to share this excerpt with you.

You may find the full audiobook for purchase on their website. Enjoy!  [Tyee]

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