Shawn Johnson and her husband Andrew East are opening up about how their miscarriage has shaped how they parent. Johnson suffered a miscarriage in 2017, which has changed how they parent their daughter, Drew. The loss shook their worlds, and while they knew they still wanted children, a lot was put into a different perspective.
Johnson and East met in 2012 while on a blind date. During the summer of 2013, the two started dating, and three years later, they got married on April 16, 2016. Life was going fast for the couple, and Johnson accidentally became pregnant in 2017. The couple had talked about having kids, but there was never really a timeline in place. When Johnson found out she was expecting, she recalls it being the “greatest blessing,” she told PEOPLE. But then, Johnson suffered a devastating miscarriage. They waited a year to try again, knowing they would want to expand their family, but needed a break to do that. Until the miscarriage happened, Johnson and East never planned on documenting their parenting journey. East typically shared more on social media than Johnson did until it came to their loss. Johnson wanted to share their journey more than her husband, who just wanted to protect their hearts. Johnson says she wanted to share their story to help other women who have also suffered a miscarriage.
The couple’s daughter, Drew Hazel East, was born on October 29, 2019. Once Drew was born, their priorities changed. Their daughter was now their number one priority. The couple then had to navigate how to parent together. But when it came to parenting, the couple said they struggled finding a style that worked for both of them. They know everyone is raised differently, so they took those experiences from themselves growing up into their own family. But after Drew was born, the couple knew they had to work out their differences. Communication and patience are key, they shared, and it’s OK to take your time figuring things out. The couple says their favorite part of parenting is watching Drew grow, learn, and forming her own personality. A challenging part, though, for East, is that he realized it’s not just him anymore. He says he is his third priority; Drew first, and then Johnson second. It’s a constant battle, he revealed.
They hope new parents realize that every parent does thing differently, and that’s OK. East says being a parent is the best part of life, and that can often be forgotten between the hard and exhausting stages.
Source: PEOPLE