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

A Beautiful Baby Daughter and Beautiful New Mom In Her "Annie" Designer Hospital Gown

We received this testimonial from Andrea, who recently gave birth to the most beautiful little girl! Just look at those cheeks! Thank you Andrea for taking the time to tell us how much you loved your "Annie" designer hospital gown! It always means the world to us, especially coming from a fellow RN! 

"I had my daughter, Caroline, almost three weeks ago, and I really loved my Annie & Isabel gown. I ended up having a C-section and had to stay in the hospital for four days, so it got a lot of use :) The gown was much more functional than a regular hospital gown and I absolutely loved it. I got many compliments as well!"

-Andrea

With 2 Girls and Her Pink Annie Designer Hospital Gown, Mindy & AJ left the gender of the 3rd Baby as a Surprise!! It's A...

In honor of Mother's Day, this upcoming Sunday, we are so happy to share with you a testimonial of a special friend and mother! My sister and business partner, Anna, was at her son's baseball game last spring and was sitting next to Kelli Wheeler, author of "Momservations - The Fine Print of Parenting". They were talking about their businesses when Kelli realized she had a friend who would be delivering her 3rd child that very week via C-section. She asked Anna if she could buy an Annie & Isabel hospital gown that day (our gowns are especially nice for extended stays like C-sections). Anna called me {Selena} and I ran over our "Annie" gown to the baseball diamond. The next week we were so surprised to find out that the "Annie" gown went to a college friend and neighbor of Selena's husband, Mindy! Mindy and her husband AJ went to Santa Clara with Selena's husband and we were so excited Mindy welcomed her son Joey into this world in one of our hospital gowns (which we got to see pics on Facebook... love that!) Mindy is a beautiful person inside and out and a wonderful mother to her 3 children. Here is what Mindy said about wearing her very own designer hospital gown,

"Wow, what a difference a cute hospital gown makes! My third (and final) baby was born on May 26, 2010. Due to my previous c-sections, we knew when baby #3 would arrive, but we did not know if we were having a boy or girl! Our first two children are girls. Secretly we hoped for a boy, but another girl would have been great too. So, needless to say, when my husband joyfully announced in the operating room, "It's a BOY!" we were thrilled! I spent four days in the hospital recovering from my c-section and bonding with baby Joey. Baby Joey and I had several visitors during those days. I could not have been more grateful to be wearing my cute Annie and Isabel designer hospital gown. Our friends and family all commented on the gown. Just about all the moms said, "I wish I had a pretty gown when my babies were born!" Thanks to Kelli for the thoughtful gift! And, thanks to Annie and Isabel for making my baby boy's arrival even more memorable!"

- Mindy

Congratulations Mindy & AJ. You have a beautiful family and thank you for sharing!

Follow Kelli Wheeler of Momservations

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{ Buy her book... A GREAT Mother's Day Present! }

For Mother's Day we are offering free shipping in the United States by using the code "Mothers" at checkout now through Mother's Day. If you order by May 4th, we guarantee your hospital gown will be delivered in time for Mother's Day. Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns are the perfect gift for the expecting mother in your life.

Channelling The Animal Instincts of The Susan Hospital Gown For A Not-So-Easy Birth!

The labor and delivery of your first child is different for every woman. When you are about to deliver your first child, you can't exactly imagine how your body will respond to this experience and hope for strength and minimal discomfort. We received this very candid testimonial from Liz. She had two gowns for her hospitalization, which definitely came in handy for her extended stay in the hospital. We love when women pick our zebra Susan gown because it is fun and "wildly" chic, but we had no idea how much strength it would bring Liz during a difficult labor. We know that your birth journey was not the one that you expected and we appreciate that you were willing to share it with us. You are a true Annie & Isabel warrior!!

"October 12th, 2010...It's a day I will NEVER forget. My husband and I anxiously awaited the arrival of our son as we began the "birthing" journey at 6:30am. Upon arriving at the hospital I slipped into my Susan gown, smiled pretty for the camera (wish I would have donned some sort of makeup), climbed onto the bed and my pitocin drip began. Throughout the morning, as docs and nurses flitted in and out of my room, everyone commented on the Susan gown! It made me smile because I wasn't feeling the least bit pretty with the 55 more lbs. added to my former self, but hey, you will take a compliment when you can get it at this point."

"Little did I know that only a few short hours into being induced, my epidural would wear off, it wouldn't be fixed, and after nearly eight LONG hours of hard labor, I was rushed into an emergency c-section when they had to put me completely out. Honestly, the Susan gown gave me the strength to be the "animal" I needed to be to make it through those excruciating hours. I was not prepared for even the tiniest bit of pain (naive I know), but the gown's pattern kept me focused, fighting, and roaring (much to the dismay of the poor moms-to-be getting ready for their births. I am sure they found it hard to focus with my blood curdling screams). I remember, just before I slipped into "dream" land, one of the nurses said, 'that is the cutest hospital gown I have ever seen, I needed to ask her where she got it when she wakes up!' and she did..."

"Decker James Miller finally arrived at 7:39 p.m. but I didn't get to meet him until the early morning hours of the next day. Before he was placed in my arms, I asked my sweet husband to help me change from my Susan gown into the Anita gown. I didn't realize the immobility that comes with a c-section (again, naive) but it was so easy to take off and put the other one on, the snaps and ribbons were no-fuss. Once on, the Anita gown make me feel refreshed given the ordeal I had just endured; it actually made me feel pretty again and I was now ready to meet my son. And so, with the Anita gown on, and my son in my arms looking up at me saying, 'are you my mother?', the "parenting" journey began!

Love how Liz has already mastered the multi-tasking!

Sweet Baby Decker James fast asleep after working SO hard to arrive safely!