Our beautiful daughter, Novah Cannon Macalligan, was born by c-section, crying her little lungs out on the 11th June 2018 at 10.27am. She defied all the odds to enter the world full of life and with lungs full of air.

Of all the scenarios we had played out in our minds over the last 20 weeks – nothing could have prepared us for the sheer and overpowering joy of welcoming her into the world and her being with us. Being her mum makes me feel prouder than anything else ever has.

As we sat in our respective hospital gowns and scrubs waiting to go into theatre, Erin and I told our little Junebug that all she had to do was come out fighting, and we would take care of everything else. And she did! Today she’s a week old, thriving, filling us with more love than we have ever known, and we still cannot believe she is here and is as amazing as she is. The doctor said as he pulled her out, “Well, she’s making all the right noises!” and she absolutely was. The on-call neonatologist came leaned down in the operating room to tell me that she was breathing perfectly and didn’t need to go to NICU. I asked Erin if I was hallucinating as I could hear her cry and cry.

After four days in hospital, cared for by the most incredible team of midwives, visited by all the obgyns we’d seen throughout my pregnancy here, and friends and family—there are no words for the gratitude and awe we’ve experienced.  

Everyone has commented that she doesn’t look any different… until we tuck her into a long-legged onesie and you realise how short her wee arms and legs are. Her ribs are also slightly short, but so far, so good. These are hurdles we will understand in time to help give her the best life we can. For now, she’s pink, perfect and more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.

It’s been a week of normal, tough, sleep-deprived, nappy-filled, hormonal, first-time parent hurdles, and while we’re both sore, tired and still ever so anxious about our little one—these are moments that I never let myself think about. Now that they’re here, they are so magical, even when they’re rough and emotional.

It has been so long to get here. The waiting, the uncertainty, the fear—we’re grateful and realising that that was only the tiniest part of our journey.