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Pregnancy And Childbirth: Business And Economics The business and economics of pregnancy and childbirth. Part of the "Beginnings" series.
Special Series

Pregnancy And Childbirth: Business And Economics

The business and economics of pregnancy and childbirth. Part of the "Beginnings" series.

Wednesday

Egalite For Bebe? France's Free Child Clinics At Risk

Dr. Sandrine Courtial examines 3.5-month-old Ayline Alhas at the Centre de Protection Maternelle et Infantile (PMI) in Savigny-sur-Orge, France, before giving her a vaccination. Ayline's mother, Melissa, has been bringing her in for free well-child check-ups since her birth. Olivier Pascaud for NPR hide caption

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Olivier Pascaud for NPR

Egalite For Bebe? France's Free Child Clinics At Risk

KQED

In France, public health clinics have offered free services for all parents and kids, including vaccinations and classes on healthy nutrition, since 1945. The system has been credited with getting French children off to a remarkably healthy start. Now it's being threatened by economic woes and immigration pressures.

Egalite For Bebe? France's Free Child Clinics At Risk

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Friday

Born In The USA? This Blanket Might Look Familiar

Zac and Penny Johnson's son Henry is 4, but they still have his hospital blanket in a box with other keepsakes. Zac remembers bringing one of these blankets home to their dog Daisy to smell, in anticipation of Henry's homecoming. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

Born In The USA? This Blanket Might Look Familiar

Medline makes the white flannel blanket with pink and blue stripes used in hospital delivery rooms across the country. The company has produced close to 25 million of the blankets since 1980 alone.

Born In The USA? This Blanket Might Look Familiar

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Friday

In China, An IVF Clinic Grapples With Huge Demand

The lobby of the Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics and IVF Institute is filled with clients waiting to see doctors. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

In China, An IVF Clinic Grapples With Huge Demand

Treating infertility has become a booming business in China, a country known for its one-child policy. One American-backed in vitro fertilization clinic in Shanghai can hardly keep up with demand, with patients filling the waiting rooms and spilling over into the stairwells.

In China, An IVF Clinic Grapples With Huge Demand

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