Jana Kramer knows that not every pregnancy is the same — and her postpartum journey with baby No. 3 was also a new experience for the mom.
“I definitely had way more postpartum anxiety this go around,” Kramer, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 4, while promoting her latest Lifetime movie Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story. “I just felt like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I doing?’ I forgot everything. [And] that kind of anxiety that goes along with it.”
Kramer, who welcomed son Roman in November 2023 with fiancé Allan Russell, said being thrust back into the new mom phase started off bumpy.
“I will say the first few months was a shock again,” she explained, noting that her older children “were fine” and self-sufficient when she got pregnant. “I mean, they can take care of themselves. They could even make themselves breakfast, and then it was like, ‘Whoa, you're back in it.’”
Kramer, who shares daughter Jolie, 7, and son Jace, 4, with ex-husband Mike Caussin, was worried about everything falling into place.
“I just didn't know if I could, not that I couldn't do it, I know I can do it,” she recalled. “I think having the other ones and making sure I have time for the bigs [was a fear].”
The One Tree Hill alum said after six months of adjusting, the family is “good” and settled into their new routine. “Now I'm like, ‘Oh, [I’m] back in the rhythm,’” Kramer confirmed.
Kramer told Us that her older children’s love for their youngest sibling has helped make things easier day to day. “They're the best big brother and sister,” she gushed, teasing, “They're not changing diapers. They want nothing to do with that.”
Jolie and Jace don’t love diaper duty, but they “enjoy trying to make him laugh” now that Roman is in a “smiling and laughing” phase.
Kramer also revealed that Russell, 43, whom she got engaged to in May 2023, has brought her peace as a mother.
“He's the most incredible dad ever. He's an amazing partner,” she said of the former Scottish soccer player. “He's so supportive. He loves me just incredibly. We both get each other really well, and he's the best dad.”
In addition to assistance from her fiancé, Kramer said she’s come to a good place with her ex-husband Caussin after their split in 2021.
Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin’s Sweetest Moments With Kids Jolie and Jace Pre and Post-Split
“It feels like a family. It feels wonderful,” Kramer told Us of her home life. “And Mike has been a great. He's really supportive of our relationship and we have a really good thing all together. Mike and Allan get along. I never could have imagined it like this.”
While Kramer confessed that she’s “always a work in progress,” she feels like she’s found a good balance.
“I think there's always moments where you can reflect and grow and go, ‘OK, that wasn't my best. Let me take that and do better next time on something else,’” she continued. “So I'm always going to evolve and continue to evolve, continue to be the best version.”
Part of that commitment to moving forward played a part in how Kramer approached her latest role in Lifetime’s Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story.
“I have a lovely relationship with Lifetime,” Kramer said of the project. “They asked me what I wanted to make, and I said, for me, I would love to make a movie around domestic violence, a true story because it is very close to my past and my history.”
Jana Kramer’s Relationship History: Past Engagements, Marriages, Divorces and More
Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story tells the true story of Morgan Metzer, who in 2021 was beaten and sexually assaulted by a masked intruder. Her ex-husband, Rodney Metzer, was later identified as the assailant and was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including kidnapping and aggravated assault.
Kramer, meanwhile, was in an abusive relationship while married to Michael Gambino. Gambino was convicted on attempted murder charges in 2005. He was sentenced to six years in prison and died in 2012.
“I want to be able to tell those kinds of stories and hopefully give voices to other women that can't find their voice,” Kramer explained. “I think it's important to shed light on what is happening in closed doors that people may not know about. And again, to give voices to the women that need their voices to be heard, especially in the gaslighting situations too.”
Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story premieres on Lifetime Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
