Shawn Johnson Shares the Situation That Caused Tension in Her Marriage

Shawn Johnson Responds to Rumors She's Pregnant With Baby No. 4

By the time Shawn Johnson East gave birth to her and husband Andrew East's youngest, son Bear, in December 2023, she thought she'd gotten past all of her parenting stumbles. 

So, while the Olympic gymnast wasn't assuming she'd fully stick the landing, so to speak, as a mom of three under age 5, she also wasn't expecting all that many wobbles. 

With daughter Drew, 6, and son Jett, 4, "I had very typical challenges," the four-time medalist explained in E! News' exclusive sneak peek of mental health platform BetterHelp's Mind If We Talk? podcast. Most of her struggles centered around figuring out her new mom identity and trying to master a schedule that included middle-of-the-night wakeups and constant feedings. 

And then she got a real wakeup call with her littlest cub. 

"It was truly the first time I think I ever really understood postpartum depression," Shawn explained on the podcast, dropping May 21. "Our third baby is the greatest blessing and he's amazing, but he was just so different than the other two. He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping, he was a colicky baby. There were so many things that I had never dealt with." 

Nor was she able to let her husband of 10 years serve as a spotter. 

Previously they'd had "a wonderful system in place," Shawn shared, noting that Andrew, also 34, "had all these non-negotiable things that I had to do every day," including going out in the sun and watching a funny movie. 

But with those steps not eliciting the same sort of joy, "It caused so much tension with us because I didn't know how to ask for help," said Shawn, "and I didn't even know what was wrong."

She realized she was meant to be relishing the snuggles and gushing about what was likely her last go-round with a newborn, "but there wasn't a single point that I felt I could be happy about." Instead, Shawn noted, she was "troubled and concerned and obsessed with this idea of, I had to help him and I had to get life figured out for him." 

"I never had doubt in us, and I never had doubt in Andrew, but I always doubt myself because I am a perfectionist and I want to succeed," she explained. "And I want to be the best at what I do. And so, my brain and my doubt goes to, 'Am I suited to do this? Am I the best mom for my children? Am I the best wife for my husband?'" 

The answer to all were an unequivocal yes, stressed her partner of more than a decade. But, said Andrew, "I realized at some point I was literally completely out of my depth and I need, we needed professional perspective on this."

Years removed from that struggle, they still get a boost from the experts. Despite enjoying the sessions they attended ahead of their April 2016 vows, "We started learning that we had this tendency to only go to counseling or therapy when it got bad. And we've now started just setting goals of doing it proactively for maintenance." 

When speaking about their struggles, "You're putting it out on the table in a way that allows you to be this third party audience to it," explained Andrew. "And then it makes it feel way less personal." 

That's why they count regular therapy as one of their winning marital strategies. Relive their journey to the top of the proverbial podium.