More than 626,000 infants are born through still birth and miscarriage every year in the United States, and for many families, it’s difficult to find clothes that fit. That’s where angel gowns come in — donated wedding dresses that are repurposed into burial gowns for tiny premature and newborn babies. These gowns are given to hospitals, birthing centers, funeral homes and directly to grieving parents, free of charge.
The national Angel Gown program started in Texas in 2013, and now spans across the country, including at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Staff members gathered on Saturday to offer comfort to local families at a “sew-in” where they worked to transform wedding dresses into the tiny gowns.
Kathleen Sharp, an administrative assistant with Atrium Health, has experienced a few losses in her early years of marriage, but it was the loss of her nephew that really impacted her. That’s when she decided to volunteer for the angel gown project.
“I’ve been able to see the impact that this has on grieving families, especially when a baby is born too soon,” she said. “There’s not a lot of clothing available for these little babies.” She explains that the funeral dress can provide families with a keepsake, and it allows them to say their final farewells to their child.
It’s a rewarding experience, but it’s not always easy. Often times, when people are sewing for these angel gowns, they’re also dealing with their own personal grief. And, according to Sharp, that can make it harder to keep up with the project’s needs.
A back closet in Schatz’s home is stacked with beautiful gowns. One dress can typically make about 30 infant gowns, and each package that goes out to the hospitals includes a gown, a message and keepsake for the parents and a diaper and blanket for the parents to swaddle their newborn in. She says it’s a labor of love and an amazing feeling to know that each little angel has their own special gown.
The hospital’s NICU and PICU are both proud to receive these beautiful gowns. The hospital is known for its unwavering commitment to family-centered care and offers services like Chase Child Life/Child Development, pediatric and NICU massage therapy and language and cultural support.
Interested in donating a wedding dress to be transformed into an angel gown? Click here for more information. Or, if you’d like to help but aren’t able to donate a dress, there are other ways you can get involved. You can spread the word about the need for gowns or simply make a cash donation to an organization that’s already helping grieving families. Just think about that dress hanging in your closet — could it be put to better use than waiting for a special day?