MacKenzie Porter Welcomes First Baby with Husband Jake Etheridge: 'Forever the Reason We Breathe' (Exclusive)

The couple, who got engaged in 2019, tied the knot in July 2020

MacKenzie Porter's family has grown by one more.

The "Easy to Miss" singer, 34, and her husband, Nashville actor Jake Etheridge, have welcomed their first baby together, daughter Bowen (Bowie) James Porter Etheridge, on Thursday, March 14th, a rep for the couple confirms to PEOPLE.

Born at 7:21 a.m., baby Bowie weighed 7 lbs. and measured 17.5 inches long.

"On March 14th, 2024 at 7:21 a.m., our lives completely changed. Our daughter took her first breath and she is now forever the reason we breathe," the couple tells PEOPLE. "Life just got so much sweeter, snugglier and sleepier all in a matter of minutes. Mommy and Daddy love you so so so much little Bowie girl."

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"We left the hospital on March 16th, and took the world's slowest drive home trying to avoid every bump in the road as we had the most precious cargo strapped in our back seat," they continue.

"The last four days have been filled with endless cuddles, 800 Google searches of 'is ___ normal for a newborn,' a few tears of stress, but many more tears of joy. There is an endless loop of monitor footage of us checking to make sure she's still breathing, or just standing over her bassinet to stare at her perfect little squishy face."

"My body is healing and my heart is now whole. We had imagined this kind of love but what we dreamt could never even touch the real thing," they share.

In November, Porter shared on Instagram that she was expecting her first baby with Etheridge, posting some sweet shots from her maternity shoot. In the caption, the expectant mom took a minute to reflect on her emotions.

"Our sweet baby. We couldn’t be more excited to meet you, hold you, kiss your lil squishy cheeks and let Willa lick your lil toes," she wrote.

"To say we are a tad nervous would be an understatement but what we know without an ounce of doubt is that we will love you more than anything in this entire world. We will never go back to who we were before. WE are now THREE (well 4 including the fur bean) forever. Love Mom and Dad."

Porter and Etheridge tied the knot in July 2020, eloping in Nashville.

"Since all of our plans were postponed because of COVID-19, we decided this would be the perfect time to wed and then throw our big party bash next summer. We can't wait to celebrate with all our family and friends," Porter told PEOPLE at the time.

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Read the original article on People.