Shawn Johnson is sharing a hopeful update after her youngest son faced another medical procedure.
The “Dancing with the Stars” alum and Olympic gold medalist took to Instagram Stories on July 30 to let fans know that her 2-year-old son, Barrett “Bear” East, recently underwent surgery to have his second set of ear tubes placed and his adenoids removed. According to her stories, Johnson said the procedure “went great” and was “definitely needed,” though Bear’s recovery from anesthesia proved to be much more challenging than expected, per People.
While the surgery itself was successful, Johnson admitted the hardest part came afterward, when her little boy struggled to wake up from the anesthesia.
Johnson explained that children can sometimes have a difficult time coming out of anesthesia, but Bear’s experience was “by far the roughest” she had witnessed. At one point, medical staff became concerned after he refused water, juice and even popsicles, advising the family to call if it continued.
Shawn Johnson Says Bear Is Feeling Much Better After Surgery
Fortunately, things soon took a turn for the better once the family returned home.
Johnson said it felt like “a switch flipped” about five hours after surgery. Although Bear was still groggy, he suddenly became much more alert and developed a big appetite after initially refusing to eat or drink.
In a text update shared alongside her videos, Johnson joked that her toddler had become “a bottomless pit,” revealing he quickly started asking for yogurt, pizza, popsicles, cherries, cantaloupe and avocado.
The encouraging update comes just weeks after Johnson and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East, spoke about life at home with their three children. During an interview with E! News, the couple laughed about raising adventurous kids, with Johnson revealing that their 4-year-old son, Jett, has loved “anything with two wheels” since he was a toddler and is currently fascinated by motorcycles.
His adventurous personality has also led to a few bumps and bruises over the years. Johnson even joked that “the ER now comes to our house,” explaining that the family has become surprisingly comfortable treating cuts and stitches after so many childhood mishaps.
Shawn Johnson and Andrew East Say Their Family Feels Complete
Johnson and East have built a busy family life since marrying in 2016. After experiencing a miscarriage in 2017, the couple welcomed daughter Drew Hazel in 2019, followed by son Jett James in 2021 and their youngest son, Barrett “Bear,” in December 2023.
Over the years, the former Olympian and retired NFL player have regularly shared their parenting journey with fans, offering glimpses into life with their growing family through social media and YouTube.
Earlier this summer, the couple also confirmed to People that they don’t plan to have any more children, saying their family of five feels “very complete.” East added that while he loves being a dad and raising little kids, they both feel their family is exactly where it’s meant to be.
For now, Johnson is simply grateful to see Bear on the mend after what she called a difficult recovery, sharing, “He’s slowly making progress and really funny just now demanding so much food.”
