Harper Grae and Wife Dawn Gates Welcome Baby Boy After Reciprocal IVF (Exclusive)

The country singer and wife Dawn already share daughters Declan Monroe and Emerson

Harper Grae is a mom of three!

The country singer, 33, quietly welcomed a baby boy with wife Dawn Gates, a rep for the musician confirms to PEOPLE.

Son Gresham Castle Gates was born on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 5:53 p.m., weighing 7 lbs., 4 oz., and measuring 20 ½ inches long.

Revealing her exciting baby news exclusively to PEOPLE, Grae opens up about the journey to welcoming her baby boy, who is a "Gemini sun, Leo moon and Scorpio rising" in a reciprocal in vitro fertilization journey.

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Related: Who's Due Next? Celebs Who Are Expecting

"Dawn and I began our Reciprocal IVF journey in the spring of 2020. I always knew I wanted to carry my partner's child, so we began to look for a donor and started the process of harvesting her eggs for fertilization," Grae tells PEOPLE.

"After a few tests, we found out it would be safer for me to carry my biological child first and then do RIVF after," she explains, referring to the pregnancy which resulted in daughter Declan Monroe, now 22 months.

"Summer of 2022, we decided to pick up where we left off with RIVF, and after the first frozen embryo transfer (FET) we found out that our little one stuck! I broke the cardinal rule of FETs by checking every morning via pregnancy tests just to see if I could find out before going back for an official blood test," the country singer shares.

Though they are grateful for the results, Grae called the process "grueling," adding, "Fertility treatment is no joke."

"I was taking shots right before walking on stage to perform night after night.  Thank the good higher being that I have such a committed partner who was with me for every one of them, minus three where my best friend, Abigail Berard, stepped in for her."

Though she admits she had "a ton of anxiety building up for the process," after experiencing a pregnancy loss in the past, Grae says this pregnancy was a "breeze in comparison to my pregnancy with Declan."

"However I battled double kidney infections and passing kidney stones during the last four months, which made for an interesting journey."

"I am still processing this birth story, as I experienced some scary complications, but I will say it is crucial to have an OBGYN that you trust," she says of welcoming Gresham. "I could never say enough about Dr. Iwelu and how she stayed calm during my post-labor difficulties and continuously made me feel safe."

Grae jokes, "Through it all, we delivered a healthy baby boy, on National Wine Day of all days."

The best part of delivering the newest member of the family "was having my two daughters, Emerson and Declan Gates meet their baby brother. Nothing will ever compare to that moment."

Through it all, Grae, who cited "many reasons" for keeping the pregnancy quiet says she had the "support and stability that my wife offered every day and night."

In October, Grae chatted with PEOPLE about being one of few LGBTQ artists in the country space, along with Jenna DeVries.

"Being LGBTQ artists in the country space in Nashville is who we are," Grae told PEOPLE. "It's not even something that's this conversation point anymore, which is such a beautiful space to be in. It's just about supporting and uplifting women."

When it comes to life as a mom, Grae hopes to share those ideals, no matter what. But time is moving quickly, she noted.

"I didn't know what to expect having a kid," admitted Grae. "She's my first one, so I didn't know how fast it goes. All of a sudden, she's walking and she's saying words like, 'I love you, Mama.'"

"She's incredible and she is fiery and she's just incredible," Grae raved at the time. "She is really smart, and she loves music."

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Read the original article on People.