Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson has added another bundle of joy to her bunch! Shawn and her husband Andrew East have announced the arrival of their third baby together. The couple shared the news in their FamilyMade newsletter.
Shawn and Andrew welcomed their new baby on December 12th via c-section. For now, the couple is keeping the name and sex of their baby under wraps while they spend some time with their newborn. Unlike their first two children, they decided not to learn their baby’s sex before their arrival. In the newsletter, they shared, “Our baby is healthy and that’s all we can ask for!” The little one’s birthday came at a profound time for the family, as Andrew explained, “My dad was born on December 9 and passed away unexpectedly on December 27 of last year, so December is a really impactful month for us. Having our baby born so close to my dad’s birthday feels really special and I know he would be smiling down and so proud of us.”
Shawn and Andrew share two children together: daughter Drew Hazel, 4, and son Jett James, 2. Like their new sibling, both were born via c-section. In the newsletter, Andrew gushed over his wife sharing, “It’s been amazing to see Shawn push through another C-section with a smile on her face and love this baby with everything she has. She’s incredible. These are the moments life is all about!”
The Olympic Gold Medalist discussed recovery and becoming a mom again writing openly, “Recovery is always a process and I’ve learned to be really patient with my body. Not trying to rush anything and really just going to soak it all in. The third time around feels so surreal because even though we’ve done this twice before, there’s still so much nervousness and excitement around the days leading up to the birth and then so much magic once you get to hold your sweet baby in your arms for the first time. It really never gets old. You spend your whole pregnancy wondering how you could possibly love another baby just as much as your first two and then in an instant your heart expands and basically triples in size, it’s incredible. Being a mom is truly my favorite thing.”
As for whether this will be the couple’s last baby, Shawn has already opened up about the possibility of growing her family again. A few days before the news of her third baby, she revealed that doesn’t plan on becoming pregnant again but isn’t taking “more kids off the table.” She explained, “I have just said to Andrew that I feel like my body is done with pregnancy. I’ve been so blessed and lucky but 3 full-term pregnancies, 3 c-sections, 3 BIG babies has taken its toll on my body specifically and I want to be as healthy and active for my kids as possible. So, I now put adoption on the table.”
Congratulations to Shawn and Andrew on the arrival of their new baby! We look forward to learning more about their little one, should they choose to share.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.