For families experiencing the loss of a baby, especially one born prematurely, that baby is considered an angel. And these tiny gowns are made from donated wedding dresses to give that little angel a dignified, beautiful dress or suit to lay in at the hospital. They are offered to parents free of charge.
For Mayo Clinic nurse Lynn Gaber, creating these gowns is a way to pay tribute to those who never get the chance to come home. It is also a way to help support the grieving parents who need something to remember their little one by.
Every year in the United States, 626,000 babies are born through still birth or miscarriage. And for the parents, they will never take their baby home.
That’s why a Hot Springs Village woman has turned her first floor into a workshop for these tiny angel gowns. She makes them from donated wedding dresses, and she’s donating them across the country to comfort grieving families.
The gowns are a labor of love for the seamstresses behind them. They work from their homes to transform the dresses into infant burial gowns and suits, a simple way to honor the life of an angel baby. The group’s goal is to make sure all families in need receive a burial outfit for their baby, regardless of their financial status or where they live in the country.
It’s an international effort, with volunteers from around the world helping to make these beautiful gowns. Each package includes the gown, a message and keepsake for the parents and a blanket to swaddle their baby. For many of these families, it’s the last thing they get to do for their baby before they say goodbye.
Gowns are made from a variety of fabrics, including silk, lace and satin. Some are even adorned with rhinestones or flowers to add to the beauty of each dress. The gowns are available for hospitals, birthing centers, funeral homes and directly to families to help them say their final farewells.
KATV spoke to a few of the seamstresses behind the project. We met a Camden woman who lost her daughter to SIDS, and another who lost her son to an emergency C-section. They all said the loss of their babies was one of the hardest things they’ve ever had to endure.
A Camden mother, Haley Clark, who was in a similar situation, says she wishes the hospital would have given her an angel gown for her baby. She’s now a volunteer and plans to bring gowns to hospitals in her area.
Another volunteer is a retired labor and delivery nurse, who lost her own baby at 18 weeks gestation. She found solace in making these angel gowns, and now spends her retirement helping other families find that same peace. She calls herself Grandma Angel, and her work is truly a labor of love.
In addition to angel gowns, her group also makes prayer shawls and blankets for people who’ve experienced the loss of a family member or friend. They’re always accepting donations of repurposed wedding dresses, fabric, ribbons, thread, gallon zip-lock bags and more to make these special garments for grieving families.