“7 Little Johnston”'s Trent and Amber on 'Fear' of Daughter Elizabeth Giving Birth with Achondroplasia (Exclusive)
Though Trent and Amber had their concerns about their daughter's high risk pregnancy, the couple tells PEOPLE how "amazing" it's been to see her become a "great mom"
Trent and Amber Johnston had their reservations about daughter Elizabeth Johnston's high-risk pregnancy.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the 7 Little Johnstons couple opened up about the worries they had upon learning that Elizabeth was expecting and the complications that can arise when women with achondroplasia give birth.
"So for Elizabeth, she has to have a c-section under general anesthesia, so therefore she's put to sleep completely, which is really, really challenging when it comes to getting a baby out fast," Amber says. "Our pelvis is too narrow and in a sense kind of fused."
Had Mom and baby experienced complications before being put under, Amber explains that the anesthesia could have opened up "a whole host of complications for Elizabeth and the baby."
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"That's just not a perfect world," she continues, adding how her daughter attempted to soothe her worries upon breaking the news of her pregnancy.
"Elizabeth is very much like her father [where] everything's going to be fine," she jokes before recalling the fateful conversation. "And it was like, 'Oh no, mom. My partner's average size, so we will be okay genetically. The baby will either be little or big. It doesn't matter. We're fine. It's great.'"
"And I'm like, 'Okay, Elizabeth. You're right. However, that's not the only problem that can happen,' " she says.
While Elizabeth may not have had the same concerns, Trent admits that the couple had another "fear" regarding her hospitalization. When it came time to deliver the baby, Amber and Trent wouldn't be by her side as doctors rolled her into the operating room for her c-section.
"This was the very first time Amber [hadn't] gone back with one of our kids," Trent explains. "[With] all the surgeries our kids have had, Amber and I ... have always been the one to walk them back to the OR room and to kiss and say bye, and 'We'll be right outside when you come into recovery.'"
Instead, her boyfriend Brice Bolden was the one to do the honors.
"Brice was there this time. You know, Elizabeth and Brice, this was their child and they needed to be together for this, but still, as parents, that's our daughter going back and going on with surgery and it's not us walking her back there," Trent says. "So that was tough."
In November 2023, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed that Elizabeth had welcomed her daughter Leighton Drew Bolden with Bolen. The baby girl weighed 5 lbs., 9 oz. at birth.
"The wait is finally over! We’re excited to introduce our baby to the world," the couple told PEOPLE at the time.
Now that Leighton has been introduced to the world, Amber and Trent say it's been "awesome" to see Elizabeth settle into her new role as a mother.
"She is a great mom, and I knew that she was going to do amazing, and she really has," Amber says with a smile. "I will say that her and I have probably become even closer because now that she's a mom, she's like, 'I get it, Mom.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, good. I'm glad because just wait until she's 16.'"
"We've been telling you this for 22 years. Y'all don't get it until you have your own child," Trent adds with a laugh. "And we promised her, we said, 'Elizabeth, dear, these are the easy days. But when they turn into something like you right now when you're pregnant for 21 weeks [and wait] until you decide to tell mom and dad, those are the tough days.'"
"But it is amazing to watch your kids become parents," he raves. "And Elizabeth is a nurse and she already has a huge tender love and caring bone in her body, and that helps to be a mom too."
Season 14 of 7 Little Johnstons premieres March 12 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
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Read the original article on People.