The Best Chapter Yet: Delilah

Local librarian Molly’s life is much like everyone else’s. Ups, downs, hardships, triumphs. Work hard, go home and relax with her husband. During pregnancy, Molly found out her baby girl would likely have Downs syndrome. Not necessarily a plot twist, so to speak, but definitely a surprise. What followed was all of the emotions. But spoiler alert: baby Delilah would be Molly’s best chapter of life yet. Bringing joy wherever she goes, Delilah has true main character energy, in the best way possible. To promote Down Syndrome Awareness month and introduce Cincy Fam readers to this cutie, we had a brief chat with Molly about motherhood, delved into the world of delightful Delilah and we had to acknowledge how living in Cincinnati is simply amazing…

Cincinnati Family Magazine (CFM): Molly, we are so grateful that you are taking some time out of your busy life to chat with us! October is Down Syndrome awareness month, and when your beautiful daughter Delilah graces our Instagram timeline, we can’t help but smile with her! She exudes joy and seems like the happiest baby. We would love to get to know Delilah a little bit better! Does she have a favorite song? activity? Tell us all about that sweet girl.
Molly: Delilah just turned a year and a half, and she is just such a joy. She loves music and her favorite songs are Ladybug Picnic and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. She also loves Ms. Rachel and going to storytime at the Library.

CFM: Delilah also seems to be quite a fashionista! Does she have a Halloween costume picked out for 2025?
Molly: So far the plan this year is for Delilah to be an octopus! I have such fond memories of growing up and my mom making us our costumes each year for Halloween. It is so fun now as Delilah’s mom to make it special for her as well.

CFM: As a parent, I feel like any diagnosis has the potential to be accompanied by big waves of emotions. Would you feel comfortable sharing how you received Delilah’s diagnosis? If you could go back and chat with Molly in that moment, what would you tell her?
Molly: At 12 weeks pregnant we learned we were having a girl, we also found out that there was a 90% chance that our baby would have Down syndrome. It was news we received on a Friday in a PDF sent to my email. I thought how could this life-changing information be so unceremoniously delivered. I lay in bed rereading the results over and over before I went downstairs to tell Scott. The days that followed were filled with a wide range of emotions. I now know that the feelings we experienced are very similar to those of other parents who received a similar diagnosis. I hold a gentleness for our past selves and our lack of knowledge. If I could chat with Molly in that specific moment I would tell her that it was going to be ok. That the worry you feel means you are going to be an awesome mama, that Delilah will be just like any other baby and will change your life for the better.

CFM: You are doing an amazing job advocating for awareness and inclusion. As a librarian, we feel like you are the perfect resource to ask about good books to look into regarding disability inclusion and possibly even parenting. Do you have any recommendations for kids, parents and families who are looking to do better and be more informed?
Molly: There are so many great books out there! For kids I would recommend Hannah’s Down Syndrome Superpowers by Lori Leigh Yarborough, and also You’re So Amazing! By James Catchpole. For parents interested in learning more about disability rights I would recommend The Anti-Abelist Manifesto by Tiffany Yu. Another really lovely book I would recommend is I Cannot Control Everything Forever: a memoir about Motherhood, Science, and Art by Emily Bloom, in this memoir the author talks about her experiences with having her daughter whose congenital deafness requires cochlear implants and also later develops type 1 diabetes.

CFM: Cincinnati is full of fabulous support groups, medical facilities and more. Are there any such organizations you would like to put the spotlight on?
Molly: We really are so lucky to live in Cincinnati for this very reason. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has played a big role in Delilah’s journey so far. The NICU staff was so wonderful and caring during those first few weeks of Delilah’s life. The Thomas Center for Down Syndrome is a special division of Children’s and we have been able to work with a team there to help follow Delilah as she develops. Also, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati is just amazing. When we learned Delilah would be born with Down syndrome I reached out to their early matters coordinator, Maggie Ranz and met with her and just immediately felt like we were part of a community. Their Buddy Walk is held each year and is the largest Buddy Walk in the country. Annually attracting over 15,000 participants and more than 420 teams, it serves as the organization’s biggest fundraiser and a major celebration of the Down syndrome community. 

CFM: Support means different things to different people. Do you feel like there is anything universal that people can do or say to show support and love for family members with Down syndrome? Likewise, is there anything folks should avoid doing/saying?
Molly:  I think just by being present in the lives of family members with Down syndrome or any disability is a really simple way to show support. Whether they are playing sports, or performing in a play, just try and be there like you would for anyone you love. I think the most important thing folks should avoid is saying to someone who is new to the Down syndrome community is saying “I’m sorry.” For a person that does not know a lot about Down syndrome we prefer questions and dialogue! It’s ok to not know a lot about it and we don’t mind answering questions. Also, words matter and the use of the R-word can be extremely hurtful even if it is not meant to be a malicious statement used in the context of a situation or object rather than directed toward a human. Changing the way we talk is a way to show compassion, empathy, and fosters a society in which every person is treated with dignity and respect.

CFM: We are giving you the mic, so to speak. What would you like people to know about Down syndrome?
Molly: As someone who is still fairly new to being a mom, and someone new to the Down syndrome community, I want to say that I am still learning. I think the biggest thing I would want to share is that Delilah has given us a whole new community and purpose. We have met so many other families with kiddos and young adults with Down syndrome and getting to know them has shown us that there is so much to look forward to, just like with any child. Our differences make us beautiful; not less than.

Discover even more great Down syndrome Awareness Month reads—Molly compiled a wonderful list of great books for the Cincinnati Public Library, click HERE to “check it out”!

Molly Donnermeyer-Rinehart is a Librarian, artist, and mama to Delilah. She and her husband, Scott, live in Price Hill in Cincinnati; she is originally from Northern Kentucky. Follow Molly and watch Delilah grow and thrive; iG: @lady_thunder_maker

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