Bloom by Kelle Hampton

I just finished reading Bloom by Kelle Hampton last night and I have to say that  I truly wish everyone could read this book, not only because it gives the reader a great perspective of how a parent feels when a child is born with down syndrome or any genetic disorder/medical condition; but because it shows the ups and downs that a parent goes through on the journey to acceptance and fighting for the BEST happy life your child deserves.

Kelle is an amazing writer as she draws you into the emotional image of the moment painting the raw feelings with each word upon the page.  I found myself crying all over again in recognition of my mirrored feelings that I had during the days and weeks following the birth of our own daughter Rachel on October 21st of the same year but also laughing and the way she expresses herself.  Truly the book reads more like a conversation with the reader and I wished at times she was right in front of me so we could talk more about our shared experiences.

You can find Nella's birth story HERE on Kelle's blog Enjoying the Small Things (posted January 29, 2010)
and you can read our Rachel's birth story HERE on my blog.


(this is my review of Bloom on Goodreads)
Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir by Kelle Hampton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I first was introduced to Kelle Hamtpon's birth story of her daughter Nella (9 months older then my Rachel) through a blog friend. I reluctantly read Nella's birth story from her blog Enjoying the Small Things, I stopped reading right when I got to her saying her daughter had Down Syndrome because I didn't want to plant any negative seeds in my own mind, I was a few months pregnant with Rachel at the time. It wasn't until about a month before Rachel's arrival in October of 2010 that I read the rest of Nella's birth story and I am so blessed that I did. It ended up preparing me a little for my un-expected arrival of my beautiful perfect daughter Rachel that was also born with Down Syndrome (to our surprise).

Kelle's book Bloom walked me through the emotions of our beginning journey with down syndrome, I found myself with a highlighter and pen making notes and underlining things that echoed my own feelings of grief at the time. It gave a little more peace to my heart that although my feelings of grief felt wrong, they were not uncommon and that Kelle herself also mourned the loss of the child she thought Nella would be/could be but also the struggle to find the joy and thrive in the new life you have been given.

Completely recommend this to ANYONE but especially new parents of a child with down syndrome!

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