Shawn Johnson Stands on Hands While Pregnant with 3rd Child in Fun Video with Husband, Years since Losing 1st Baby

Shawn Johnson is famous for winning four medals with the U.S. gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Now that she is a retired athlete, she is focused on her marriage and her soon-to-be three children. But even at 34 weeks pregnant, she can still do a cartwheel.

Shawn Johnson is a retired athlete who rose to fame when she won four medals with the U.S. gymnastics team during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Johnson added more to her achievements when she was crowned the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2009. The former athlete even missed her prom to compete in the show.

The gymnast is now about to be a mother to three children, whom she shares with her husband, Andrew East. The father has also made several strides as an NFL football player. East has played for teams such as the Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and the Washington Redskins.

The couple met through East's brother and tied the knot after about three years of dating. They had an intimate outdoor ceremony at a private farm in ​​Tennessee, which was everything Johnson and her husband had ever hoped for.

The decision to step into a new chapter of building a life together is scary, and Johnson admitted to having a few wedding jitters, but the former athlete was certain that she had found the one. "I've found my guy. And he's my best friend, so making it official is exciting." she gushed.

While both are famous, Johnson expressed that she knew East was the man for her when she did not have to try to impress him with her celebrity status. Instead, the NFL player fell in love with her "weird, awkward self," making everything feel natural and comfortable.

The Pregnancy Complications

Although Johnson and East were excited to start a family together, their journey has been challenging. The 31-year-old gymnast revealed that she and her husband lost their first baby in 2017.

She shared a picture with tears running down her face and her husband holding her. "October 19th… always hits a little hard for me in such a bittersweet way. It was the day I miscarried our first baby in 2017," she wrote.

However, about a year later, the couple was told that October 19 would be the due date for their child, Drew. While that moment might have felt like consolation, Johnson opened up about the pregnancy complications she experienced.

The gymnast made a YouTube video with her husband and opened up about the difficult news she and her husband had heard after their 20-week check-up. The doctor explained to her that her unborn child had undeveloped and dilated kidneys along with a two-vessel cord instead of three.

These two complications put Johnson's pregnancy at risk of a stillbirth or pre-term birth. But that was not the end of it. The doctor said the pregnancy would have been high risk if they only had to deal with one of the issues, but the two together also meant their child could have Down Syndrome.

Hearing the news was difficult for Johnson and East. Johnson explained that as an athlete, she was always used to being told what exercises or food to eat to deal with specific issues, so her immediate response to what the doctor told her was, "What can I do?"

Unfortunately, the worried mother was told there was nothing she could do. The doctors suggested genetic testing to see if the baby would have any disabilities, but Johnson and East decided against it.

They just wanted to do everything in their power to ensure their baby was as healthy as possible, and they were ready to love their child regardless of the outcome.

The NFL star and his wife eventually welcomed a healthy son, Drew. The three-year-old is now a big brother to a little sister, Jett, who recently celebrated her second birthday.

Shawn Johnson Shows off Her Gymnastic Skills While Heavily Pregnant

Johnson and East have revealed that they're expecting their third child together. The retired athlete announced the big news on her Instagram. She shared a photo of her sitting down, hiding her bump, and captioned it, "Swipe for a surprise," showing off her growing baby bump.

The soon-to-be mother of three said her current pregnancy was fairly easy. She experienced a lot of nausea in the first trimester, which she said was normal; the only prominent difference was that she was too exhausted from running after her two toddlers.

Nonetheless, the East family is more than excited to welcome their new addition to the family. The Olympic champion revealed that her husband was over the moon when she broke the news to him. This pregnancy was also special because Johnson realized that her baby might be born around her late father-in-law's birthday.

Even though Johnson is a retired gymnast, she still has flexibility even when heavily pregnant. She shared a video on her social media of her doing a handstand and a cartwheel at 34 weeks. Before she showed her perfect cartwheel, she said, "Center of gravity check." Her husband was in complete shock and said her skills were "elite."

East and Johnson have described themselves as a competitive couple, so the NFL player was also given a fake pregnancy belly to see if he could defy gravity like his wife. Still, Johnson proved to be the best at gymnastics in the family

As a couple that has grown up playing sports, they are often asked if they want their children to become athletes, but Johnson said they will be fine if none of them do. In fact, she said they usually joke that their children might go the opposite direction and become musicians, "which we're totally good with," added Johnson.

The "Dancing with the Stars" winner is reportedly due in December. As much as she has learned that nothing about pregnancy can go as planned, Johnson and her husband would love to welcome the baby this month and celebrate the holidays with their newborn.