Placenta Services: Getting the Word Out

I had an incredible time educating the public at the table I had for my business, Seattle Placenta Encapsulation, at Babyfest NW this month. Placentas are a part of my everyday life, and at this point, I even meet people never intending on having children who have heard of this service. But that Saturday helped me realize that there are still a large number of people in the surrounding Seattle region who are unaware that this exists. 

I heard a mix of everything that day. Stories of families wishing they had encapsulated their placentas, stories of hospitals that "forgot" to save the placenta for the mother, and a lot of "I've heard about this. My good friend did this and said it was awesome!" And on the opposite end, I sure got my fair share of "So what is placenta encapsulation?" I respond with a breakdown of what it means, and I get "Ew! No thanks, I'm good!"

Here's the thing - I'm not in this business to "make" anyone do anything. Yes, I'm incredibly passionate about this work. I love it, I honor it, I believe in it. I have my own personal experience that did wonders for me, and I hear from clients all the time about how much this service has helped their transition in the postpartum world. However, I understand that this is not the most comfortable treatment for everyone, and I'm all about empowering families. I love to educate people about what I do, and why I do it. But I'm not going to pressure you to come to my table as you walk by hesitantly at a birth fair - I do not like "salespeople" pressure put on me. That being said, I hear so often from my clients, "You need to get out there and tell people your services exist! I found out about you so last minute, and I'm so glad I did!"

So where do I find the balance between sharing my resources with the consumers of the birthing world, while being empathetic and maintaining appropriate boundaries? How would you prefer to hear about placenta services?

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