7 Little Johnstons' Liz Was 'Relieved&#...

When Elizabeth "Liz" Johnston discovered that her baby would be average size, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief

Published Time: 05.06.2024 - 17:31:17 Modified Time: 05.06.2024 - 17:31:17

When Elizabeth "Liz" Johnston discovered that her baby would be average size, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

On this season of 7 Little Johnstons, Liz kept her family members waiting with baited breath before sharing whether or not her first baby with her boyfriend Brice Bolden would be born with dwarfism. Before the 21-year-old reality star announced that her daughter — who she later named Leighton Drew — would grow to be average height, her parents TrentandAmber Johnston had their fingers not-so-secretly crossed for another little person to join their family.

"Personally, I was a little bit relieved that she was average height because hearing my mom's stories about her pregnancies with me and my older brother, there was a little bit of fear in that," Liz exclusively tells PEOPLE, adding that individuals who are little tend to "have a bit more respiratory issues."

She also notes that babies with dwarfism or achondroplasia can have "larger than normal" heads. From a birthing perspective, Liz admits that carrying Leighton was "just more bearable because she was so little and she was a lot easier to carry than a little person baby would have been able to."

"But I was very grateful with having my little petite average size daughter, for sure. We were very blessed," she smiles.

Though her parents were "rooting for a little person with this being their first grandchild," Liz says Amber and Trent were still equally as "thrilled" to hear that Leighton was a "happy and healthy baby." Affe -

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ctionately referred to as Lolli and Boppa, the reality star laughs at the thought of how they "spoil her to death."

"They are absolutely thrilled. If she was little, they were very happy, but even though she's tall, they're still super, super, super happy to have her," she added.

Leighton will eventually grow to be taller than her mother. When that time comes, Liz understands that people will be "curious" about how a little person can have an "average size baby," but the "key thing is to be kind."

"I know my daughter's going to be taller than me one day, and I know that one day she's going to see the not-so-kind people judging me for my small difference." she explains. "It may affect her in the future, but I will educate her and give her the understanding to educate those people who want to say these nasty things because it's not fair."

She continues, "But that's the biggest thing is just educate your people to just be kind. My mom says all the time, 'It's 2024 and we all just be kind to each other and accept all these differences.' But that's our biggest thing. 'Be kind, or just turn your head the other way and move on with your day. Don't worry about us.'"

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7 Little Johnstons airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.