An Alberta mother is offering a helping hand to parents of babies born with Down syndrome who may feel overwhelmed by the diagnosis.

Krista Rowland-Collins sends baskets of gifts and baby supplies to families who give birth to children born with Down syndrome in the Calgary area. The gifts are delivered as part of "Adele's Over the Rainbow Basket," an initiative named after Rowland-Collins' daughter who has Down syndrome.

Rowland-Collins says she first asks the family for permission to create a basket, to make sure they're comfortable with the idea, and then personally delivers the gift. No one has yet turned down her offer.

"We go in, we sit, we answer questions, we hand over a gift and always make sure when we leave the room we say 'It's going to be okay,'" she said.

The baskets contain everything from necessities such as bibs or diapers to toys for the newborn to play with.

Rowland-Collins says she was inspired by how her daughter, now aged 3, has positively impacted the family's life.

She admits that when she and her husband first found out about Adele's diagnosis, they were worried.

"You kind of grieve the loss of what you think is the perfect baby," she said.

That's changed since her birth.

"The moments with Adele, they're beautiful," Rowland-Collins said. "She's like light and love and she attracts people to her."

Families receiving the gifts say it helps them appreciate their child's unique differences.

"Nobody told us 'Congratulations, your son has Down syndrome.' They say 'I'm sorry, your son has Down syndrome,'" said Katherine Rondeau, who received a basket after the birth of her son Jace two years ago. "This was the first time somebody celebrated it for us instead of posting it as bad news."

Rowland-Collins has since helped 49 families, with donated items coming from as far as the Netherlands. She is set to deliver her 50th basket this weekend.

With a report from CTV's Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks