Shawn Johnson's newest pregnancy is a source of both joy and sadness for her, as she revealed in a YouTube video posted Thursday.
In the video, she's sitting with husband Andrew East as they open up to the camera to discuss what they learned at their 20-week ultrasound appointment.
We get a look inside that appointment, where the doctor says things are "just OK."
Johnson, 27, says to the camera, "I felt like someone knocked every ounce of air out of me ... The (unborn baby's) kidneys were really underdeveloped but dilated, so they were retaining a bunch of fluid."
This, apparently, could "get worse or correct itself” down the line, the gymnast-turned-author added.
Johnson explained that she had a two-vessel umbilical cord, which only occurs in 1 percent of pregnancies. According to Healthline, this means that there's just one artery and vein running in the cord, as opposed to the more typical two arteries and one vein.
"It's super-rare and can have its complications," she said. "There's the risk of stillbirth and the baby not making it to term and the baby not getting enough nutrients or having too much toxins in their body."
Johnson is undoubtedly more hypervigilant about her pregnancies, having endured a miscarriage two years ago. She posted a video about it at that time, noting, "I have been crying more than I ever have, but am still optimistic for what is next."
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Later, she blamed herself. "I felt guilty," she said in another video. "I felt like I was (uninhabitable). Like, no baby's going to live inside this belly."
The couple, who married in 2016, announced this April that they were expecting another child.
After the appointment, Johnson had an emotional breakdown in her car. "It was not out of sadness because we didn't have any concrete information, it was just out of a helpless feeling," she explained. "We love our baby so much and not being able to do anything for them was the worst feeling in the world. Welcome to parenthood."
For now, all they can do is undergo genetic testing and keep a close eye on her pregnancy. We're wishing the parents-to-be all the best.
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