Earlier this week, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and husband and NFL player, Andrew East, released a video, taking their viewers through some of the most exciting and challenging 48 hours of their lives.
While Shawn and Andrew were both traveling for work, Shawn found out she was pregnant. While the pregnancy was unplanned and she had worries about what having a baby would bring, she shed tears of joy when the text came out positive, saying, “I’m going to be a mom. I have a human growing inside of me!”
She called Andrew and told him he needed to return to their home in Los Angeles for a surprise. Though unsure, Andrew suspected she might be pregnant. He recorded his response and all of the emotions he experienced at the thought of having a child:
“It’s freaking me out honestly. I’ve got this crazy feeling in my gut like I was just about to jump out of an airplane. And then I started imaging Shawn and I as parents. And then I started imagining the little guy that would be running around, or a little girl… To my future kid, if you are on the way, I love you. I have no idea who you are, what you are, or what you’ll be like, but I’m pumped to meet you, seriously.”
Once Andrew got home, Shawn handed him a package containing little baby converse. The couple shared their shock and excitement with hugs and tears. The next morning, however, Shawn woke up with pain and bleeding, indicating she might have miscarried.
She described the emotional rollercoaster, saying, “You go from shock, to elation, to I can’t do this, to let’s do this. And now it’s like, I pray to God I can do this.”
After blood tests and an ultrasound, their doctor confirmed they had lost their baby.
While the couple is grieving their loss, they feel optimistic about the future of their family—“It won’t stop us. We’ll start a family here soon.”
Shawn explained that though miscarriage is a hard topic to talk about, they know so many people have to deal with it, so they wanted to share. Andrew added, “Know you’re not the only one going through what you’re going through.”
