7 Little Johnstons stars Trent Johnston and Amber Johnston admitted they had several fears when daughter Elizabeth “Liz” Johnston gave birth to baby No. 1.
“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, 45, told People about Liz’s delivery experience in an interview published on Tuesday, March 12. “Our pelvis is too narrow and in a sense kind of fused.”
The reality stars have Achondroplasia, which Medline Plus says is “the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism.”
If Liz, 22, had complications while under anesthesia, Amber said that “a whole host” of additional problems would have taken place.
After noting that Liz tried to calm Amber down amid her concerns, she explained that her daughter “is very much like” Trent, 47, because they like to believe “everything’s going to be fine.”
“And it was like, ‘Oh no, mom. My partner’s average size, so we will be OK genetically. The baby will either be little or big. It doesn’t matter. We’re fine. It’s great,’” Amber recalled Liz telling her. “And I’m like, ‘OK, Elizabeth. You’re right. However, that’s not the only problem that can happen.’”
Meanwhile, Trent admitted that he and Amber had “fear” they wouldn’t be able to be by Liz’s side during the delivery. “This was the very first time Amber [hadn’t] gone back with one of our kids,” he explained. “[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.’”
Luckily Liz wasn’t alone, and her then-boyfriend, Brice Bolden, was in the room during the delivery of their first child. “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,” the Johnston patriarch continued. “So that was tough.”
Liz and Brice, 25, announced they were expecting their first child in September 2023. She later gave birth to their daughter, Leighton, on November 3, 2023.
Not only will fans get to watch Liz’s pregnancy play out during season 14 of the TLC show, but viewers will also get a glimpse into Liz and Brice’s relationship issues. The TV personality confirmed that she and Brice called it quits in a teaser clip for the upcoming season.
“So Brice and I are no longer together,” she said in the video shared by Parade on Monday, March 11. Liz grew emotional before she explained that she and Brice “are no longer living together.”
“We have separated,” the nurse continued. “Us living together, it felt more like roommates when we were actually in a relationship. And I could not live like that because I am not a person who wants to be in a relationship where it doesn’t feel like there’s any love or any just, I don’t know, spark.”
Liz added that watching Amber and Trent prioritize the romance in their marriage made her realize something was missing with Brice. “I want that, but I can’t do it with somebody who is just OK with being in a fine relationship, being in a mediocre relationship,” she stated. “And I can’t be in a mediocre and fine relationship because that’s not who I am.”