Shawn Johnson, 27, has 4 Olympic medals and three World Championships for gymnastics, but now, she’s focused on becoming an award-winning mom. She’s due with her first child in October, but this isn’t her first pregnancy. “I was so naïve when we first started this journey two years ago,” Shawn told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “I thought it was like, you get pregnant, and you’re pregnant, and you have a kid and that’s the way it works. When we lost that pregnancy, it was such an eye opening experience that people don’t really talk about it. There isn’t really a community out there, [so I was] like what do I do now?”
To get some support during a dark time, Shawn says, “I voiced it on social media, just because I felt very lost, and almost broken, just not knowing how to continue and how to move forward. And the community that came forward were women who have struggled with infertility, and miscarriage, and everything. It was this feeling of ‘I’m not alone’. And I hate that I wasn’t alone, because I don’t want anyone to ever have to go through that. But it was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one, and it was a common thing that, for some reason, is never talked about.”
Now that Shawn is expecting, anyone and everyone has been offering her advice! “I have sister-in-laws, I have friends, Olympic teammates who have had multiple babies, and best friends that have had babies. So a lot of people [are giving me advice], but it’s weird when it’s you, because it’s just so foreign and so new, and every single day something else pops up and I’m like ‘Is this okay? Is this normal? What does this mean?'”
“You just learn with pregnancy that everyone has an opinion of what’s right and what’s wrong, and how they did it versus how you do it. It’s been interesting. Philips is having this really cool promotional campaign called Momtuition, and the whole concept is to just do what feels right to you. Essentially, the second you become pregnant, you have a feeling of what’s right and what’s wrong for you, and your baby, and you make your own decisions. It’s just all about following that Momtuition!” Shawn is totally stocked up on Philips Avent products for her little baby!
As far as her changing body, Shawn told HollywoodLife: “It’s weird because for so long in my life my body was my job. It was kind of like, I’ll do anything to keep it in shape, but when you get pregnant your body is not yours anymore. It’s the baby’s, and learning how to let go of control, and let your body change and do weird things is definitely a learning experience. But it’s easier than I thought, because it just feels so foreign, and it’s for a different purpose.” We are so happy for Shawn and her husband — we wish them all the best!