Did anyone see the "Push...and smile!"
article in the Boston Globe today?
Full disclosure: I was interviewed for the story and quoted in it. The lead-in reads "Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, giving birth has become a much more public event." The story talks a lot about how those first pics are no longer just shared with your immediate family but are posted for all the world to see and live on in perpetuity thanks to the digital medium. I laughed when I read the article because this is EXACTLY what gave me the idea to remake the dreaded hospital gown when I was pregnant with my first daughter 8 years ago - back in the dark ages when we were just emailing our first photos out to family and friends! I did NOT want to wear a drab, used, one size fits all, gray gown that would make me look even more tired and exhausted than I already was post labor. I actioned that idea 2 years later when I designed my first two gowns and wore them when my second daughter was born. The rest as they say is history...dearjohnnies was born, our beautiful hospital gowns became the must have accessory for expecting moms - including many hi profile celebs! By the time my third daughter was born in 2007 I was outfitted in a full complement of dearjohnnies gowns, bathrobes and swaddle blankets for the big event.
But here's where it gets even better.....along the way I realized that while on the surface it seemed to be all about vanity, it was really about so much more than that. We all know that when we look better we feel better, and studies show when we feel better we heal better. I saw that a lot of my customers were buying these gowns for loved ones who were not expecting. They wanted my gowns for their grandmothers in skilled nursing facilities, their moms having knee replacements and their best friends having mastectomies. They wanted to give them a little something to brighten their mood, lift their spirits and make them feel more like themselves in an otherwise institutional and oftentimes scary situation.
dearjohnnies gowns are really about giving patients dignity. I realize that every day when I get incredible emails and testimonials from my customers sharing their dearjohnnies stories. From the 13 year old girl, who awoke from a medically induced coma in the PICU, and declared she felt like she was going to a party in the Chloe gown her Aunt brought her, to the mom who thanked me for providing beauty to the life of her chronically ill adult daughter who has been in the ICU for the last year battling a chronic illness. These stories motivate me everyday to continue to build my business and fulfill our goal to be the Get Better Hospital Gown.
Rachel Zinny
President
dearjohnnies
The "Get" Better Hospital Gown
