Singer Harper Grae and Wife Dawn Gates Welcome 'Magical' Baby Girl Declan Monroe: 'Overjoyed'
Courtesy Elicity PR
Harper Grae's sweet rainbow baby is here!
The country singer, 31, welcomed daughter Declan Monroe Gates on Monday, July 19, at 6:06 p.m. with wife Dawn Gates, she reveals exclusively with PEOPLE. The newborn weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz., and measured 19 inches long.
"My wife and I are overjoyed to announce the birth of our magical daughter, Declan Monroe," Grae says. "Labor was the most intense yet magical experience of my life. Declan has a mind of her own, and once she decided to be earthside, she was here."
"It really does take a village," she adds. "I can't say enough about Dr. Iwelu at Women's OB in Nashville and the labor/delivery nursing staff at Saint Thomas Midtown. We had a few scary moments during delivery and they were by my side through it all."
Explaining the significance behind their baby girl's name, Grae says, "Since I carried her, I wanted her name to share the initials of my wife: D.M.G. Declan was chosen after one of my favorite saints, St. Declan of Ardmore, and Monroe was chosen after my love and admiration for Marilyn Monroe."
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Courtesy Elicity PR
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Grae's new addition comes nearly a decade after she previously suffered a miscarriage. When she revealed her pregnancy news exclusively with PEOPLE in March, Grae said she had been "nervous every step of the way, as I am sure many mothers whom after having had a miscarriage can relate. Every doctor's appointment, every trip to the bathroom, every workout, every meal — I am overly cautious."
"However," she added, "one thing is for sure: this little rainbow baby will be loved."
Gates is also mom to a 9-year-old daughter, whom Grae said would simply be "the best big sister" to their new baby.
In an essay for Sounds Like Nashville back in March, Grae wrote to her baby on the way that Gates "turned my fears of being pregnant into an aluminous world of light and hope" after feeling hesitant.
"We tried for four months, which doesn't sound like a long time, but when you have experienced loss before, it felt like a lifetime," she wrote. "There were daily shots and medications, ultrasounds, numerous doctor appointments (some which your mommy wasn't allowed to attend due to CDC restrictions), poking and prodding, temperature checks to make sure me and your mommy didn't have COVID-19, and multiple, not so comfy, IUI procedures, all while wearing masks and being socially distanced."
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"Let's just say your mommy caught many of your mama's tears during those four months," continued Grae. "Then, on an October morning, we saw the two pink lines we had been praying so hard for. I was overcome with excitement, while simultaneously being terrified. All of my doubts from a decade ago came rushing back, so every move I have made with you has been thought out: what I eat, how much I workout, how little I workout, my sleeping positions, every bathroom visit, analyzing every kick you make or don't make, overthinking every twinge I feel, and caring for you the best I can until you're in my arms."
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"... I have been living life looking through a magnifying glass at my every breath and I wouldn't have it any other way. Some people call this manic control, a product of post miscarriage, 'peace of mind,' but I call it loving you," she added.
The artist wrote about her baby on the way's "angel big brother," noting that she "didn't lose him, but I get to experience his soul in a different way, and you will too."
"I cannot wait to hear you cry for the first time. I think you're going to love crying because, after all, you're supposedly going to be a Cancer, like me," she wrote. "Even as I am typing this you gave me a swift little kick to the ribs almost as if you agree with me. If I can have one hope for you, may it be that you always feel loved and share the love you feel with others around you."
