We'd like to raise a toast to former Bachelor Sean Lowe. Because it was his quick-thinking that helped his family navigate what could have been a very tragic situation.

Back in 2018, his and wife Catherine Giudici Lowe's then-5-month-old son Isaiah developed what they assumed was just a bad cough. But as the sickness lingered, "he felt compelled to just be like, 'You know what? Let's check it out,'" Catherine recounted of Sean to E! News in an exclusive interview. "He went to the pediatrician and they were like, 'You need to go to the E.R. Right now."

With Catherine busy at work, "I wasn't even privy to what was going on," continued the Lowe Co. founder, also mom to eldest son Sam, 7, and daughter Mia, 3. "My husband didn't have his phone. He rushed to the E.R. and used someone else's phone to call me."

A case of RSV—the three letters most likely to send a shiver of fear down parents' spines—had developed into bronchiolitis and suddenly Isaiah's tiny body was struggling to take in enough oxygen.

"The whole thing is so traumatic," recalled Catherine. "And then you see your baby hooked up to all these tubes. This is a child that I'd hold in my arms and breastfeed and now I can't even really touch him."

Discharged four long, terrifying nights later ("As a mom, you're like, 'I'm not gonna sleep. I'm not leaving his side'"), her football-playing "Mr. Popular" 5-year-old "is totally fine," Catherine insisted. "He's so healthy now."

But she's still recovering, tbh.

Which is what inspired the 37-year-old to team with Pfizer to help encourage parents to learn more about the all-too-common illness that's become the leading cause of hospitalization for infants. 

"I think sharing my story can hopefully help other moms or people that are planning to become pregnant or are pregnant to be aware that RSV is a scary thing," Catherine explained. Her goal is for them to have those conversations with their OB/GYN or pediatrician "before experiencing that crazy chaotic first couple months of life."

And while a chat with their doctor or visit to BewareofRSV.com can't help with that whole sleep deprivation situation, she said, the site "tells you about solutions and the risks of it and what you should do."

Terrifying hospital stints, aside, Catherine's parenting journey has had its share of thorns.

In February, Sean found himself in the middle of an armed carjacking while out shopping with Sam, and two months later the couple made the painful decision to rehome bullmastiff Gus after a bite landed the elementary schooler in the hospital.

But the home they've built in Dallas complete with pee wee football games, Frozen viewings and online trolling only rivaled by the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively still closely resembles the ideal she and the season 22 lead envisioned when they rode an elephant off into the Thai sunset, final rose in hand.

"Every day, we get to love on each other and spend so much time together," Catherine said. "And I know it sounds so corny, but in the beginning of our relationship, we wanted to build a house full of love and full of laughter. And we've created that. And it's so wonderful for us to live out what we said we were going to do."

And as much as raising kids can seem like an exercise in chaos, "We feel so grateful that our kids get along with each other and they're sweet, they're polite, they're curious," raved Catherine. "So we feel like we've been dealt a very good hand right now. And we're just taking it in."

That's not to say they exclusively view child-rearing through a set of rose-colored glasses.

Because every night when the clock hits 5 p.m., they experience what can feel like the most dramatic evening ever. "Bedtime is psychotic," acknowledged Catherine. "It's like, 'Why do I do this? What is happening? Did they turn into monsters?'"

But then Isaiah will crack a joke ("He is just a hoot, he is the joy of our family") or Mia will tell Mom she loves her and the Seattle native will remember she's there for the right reasons.

"If I have anxiety or anything, hearing my sweet baby's voice brings me so much joy," said Catherine. "And I think that's what every parent experiences, those moments where even in the chaos, you see something—whether it's a picture they drew or something they said to you or a kiss—and that's what brings you back to reality of, like, this is a beautiful journey that I get to be on."

And, truthfully, it's been every bit the fantasy for her and the reality star, 39, though these days their one-on-one dates are a little light on the hot tubs and helicopters.

"We put them down really early," explained Catherine of wrapping up the bedtime routine by 7 p.m. "Our favorite thing is watching movies together. And so it's kind of like date night every night. We get that connection even if it's not in a big fabulous way, which is so not us."

Because cruising through the waters of Thailand is fun, but have you ever watched a now-perfectly-healthy 5-year-old muscle his way into the wrong end zone?

"Honestly, if I could capture the feeling that we have in our house, it is exactly what we wanted," said Catherine. "We're living in a dream world. We're very, very blessed."

Source:
courtesy of E!ONLINE

by SARAH GROSSBART

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