In This Season of Giving, Read About How This New Mom Gave the Gift of Life to Another Family

We always say that it is our customer's testimonials that give us the motivation and energy to continue our mission of helping women (and soon to be men) feel comforted and dignified during their hospital stays. This new testimonial did just that and brought tears to our eyes. We think it is the perfect story to share during this holiday season.    

This new mother made a huge sacrifice to bless another family with the gift of life and we LOVE that our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns were a part of this special journey. We are sending warm wishes to the amazing Elizabeth and her family. She truly is a real life ANGEL! 

"My surrogate journey started with the movie "Baby Mama", which is nothing like the actual process, at all. My husband and I have a 2 year old little girl named Lillian and we can't imagine our lives without her. My pregnancy was a breeze and labor with her was easy, 3 hours, no epidural, and no tearing (sorry if that's TMI) As the doctor was cleaning my daughter off I looked to my husband and told him I want to give the gift of a child to another family. I felt in my heart that it was my calling to give a family their own precious little face to look at and love on. I was required to wait until I was medically cleared by my OB before I could apply for the surrogate program ConcieveAbiltities in Denver CO. 

In December of 2011, sitting in a hotel room in Denver, while my 3 months old daughter slept. I filled out my application to be a surrogate. Three weeks later I got the email saying I was invited into the program. I could not have been more excited. From that moment on it was a slow and steady process. We had our match meeting, went over the legal aspects, and signed the contracts. 

Nine months after submitting my application it was transfer day! October 15, 2012 two (yes two) perfect embryos were transferred into what we hoped would be there oven for the next 9 months, me. I was on doctor ordered bed rest for 48 hours and as soon as the bed rest was lifted I knew I was pregnant! I was short of breath and craved orange juice which were the only two symptoms I had when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. So, nine days post transfer I took a home pregnancy test and got a big fat positive. After a blood test, the doctor confirmed it, I was pregnant! Then at 8 weeks we saw 2 sacs and 2...count em.....2 heartbeats!

Through the process the intended parents were very standoffish and were excited but didn't show it. They attended none of the appointments except the hospital tour when I was 20 weeks pregnant. The disconnect between my family and the intended parents is what brought me to Annie and Isabel. 

While the other surrogates were having baby showers thrown by/for their intended parents I was home with my loving husband and daughter. Their baby showers inspired me to treat myself to a few luxury items for my delivery. I entered "designer hospital gowns" into the google search bar. There were 4 companies listed before Annie and Isabel, but their back stories and customer testimonials are what hooked me. Those and the fact they had an Elizabeth gown!

I had no hesitation in ordering my gowns (yes I got two). The sizing was easy to understand, the designs are adorable, and the gowns cover everything. Being that I'm 6 ft tall, some gowns tend to be a little short. What really sold me was the fact that the gowns had pockets. I even had a pocket sewn into my wedding dress. I have to have my phone and chap-stick at all times. 

I checked my shipment status every few hours to make sure they were on their way. I opened the box and tears filled my eyes. They were gorgeous and I knew they would help in my recovery. I gushed over them for a few days before packing them in my hospital bag to await the faithful day when I would give mom and dad their precious cargo back.

The big day came and everything went so fast. The twins were born on May 25, 2013 via c-section happy and healthy. I was wheeled into recovery where my husband was waiting for me. I remembered him kissing me on the forehead and holding my Annie gown up. "When you are able to walk I will give you your gown my princess." That was all the motivation I needed, I was in my gown just after dark.

As my husband and I walked through the hospital (sometimes 4-5 times a day) there was always a comment made or a question asked about my gown. I answered every question with joy and a smile. I wanted everybody to know what an impact a beautiful gown can have on their recovery. But the gowns were not packed away after the twins. I keep them handy for any and every hospital trip, which included my several ER visits for kidney infections caused by my catheter.

Thank you Annie and Isabel for the wonderful, beautiful, and modest gowns." 

Yours Truly,
Elizabeth  
Proud Surrogate

Cyber Monday...Ready...Set...GO!!!

Happy December and Happy Cyber Monday! Every year, we rest up in preparation for our annual Cyber Monday sale! We always love the thrill of all the orders that roll in on this day! If you have been thinking about buying an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown...today is the day! Being a small business, we can tell you, this is the ONLY day a year that we have a sale! 

As you probably know, the gift of an Annie & Isabel gown is sure to bring a smile to an expecting mama, a loved one with an upcoming surgery or hospital stay, someone who unfortunately endures frequent hospital visits, doctor appointments, radiation treatments, chiropractor visits, or acupuncture treatments. So many places you can avoid those icky gowns!

Tell them that you love them with the gift of their very OWN designer hospital gown! Say "no thank you" to the paper gown or gown worn by many!!

We went back and forth about holding our annual sale this year, because we are very low in the inventory of some of the smaller sizes. You may find that we are out of your favorite gown or size, so we would also like to honor our Cyber Monday discount on gift certificates {today only}! We are in production with a huge order of gowns, so if you are able to wait a few months for your gown, then purchase a gift certificate and redeem it in the near future. If you can't wait, and we don't have your favorite gown, we are truly sorry. 

To take advantage of this once a year offer - please use the code "CYBER" upon checkout for 30% off of your entire order. 

In other exciting news around Annie & Isabel HQ...We are beyond honored to be included in Sactown Magazine as one of five local "Cool Companies" featured in the December/January issue . When we started Annie & Isabel in 2009, we never could have imagined all the exciting moments we would experience as a result of this business. Having Sactown Magazine feature Annie & Isabel is definitely one of those moments, and will be remembered as the highlight of our 2013 year. If you live in the Sacramento area, you can pick up your copy of Sactown magazine at your local Raley's, Bel-Air, Nugget Market, Cort Bros., Safeway, Barnes & Noble, or Taylor's Market.