Bachelor Alum Warns Parents About Common Virus Affecting Infants

“Bachelor” alum and new mom Lesley Murphy is sharing the frightening 36 hours she spent with her infant daughter Nora to help warn other parents about a common virus that affects young kids.

Murphy opened up about her story on Instagram over the weekend. “Nora is sick. We went to our pediatrician’s office at 4pm yesterday b/c she was having the same symptoms as her last ear infection. Both ears were clear, RSV test came back negative, but she did have a sore throat,” she wrote in a post. “Around 9pm she started developing this really loud barking cough. By midnight, her breathing seemed slightly shallow but figured that was just the congestion building. At 2am she woke up gasping for air. It was a scary 14 minutes to the ER.”

She revealed Nora, whom she welcomed with her fiancé in February, was suffering from croup, which occurs when baby’s larynx, trachea and bronchial tubes are inflamed and partially block baby’s upper airway. Her daughter was given treatment and kept at the hospital overnight for monitoring. “When she wakes, she goes between being in good spirits and struggling a little bit. It’s a rollercoaster,” the new mom shared.

Luckily, she was allowed to return home on Sunday. “After one night in the ER and another one in the hospital, we are home!!! What a crazy 36 hours, and this super crouper (as our nurse affectionately calls her) is still fighting,” Murphy shared. “It’s the worst feeling watching my baby struggle to breathe.”

She continued that she wanted to share her experience to help other new parents. “I’m always here to share not only the cute, smiley photos but also the really challenging times in case it helps anyone else. As a new mom, I had no clue what was happening at 2am early Saturday morning,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone here for your well wishes and prayers as well as to the amazing medical staff at Arkansas Children’s. Not one bed is open on the infant/toddler floor, and every single one is full for respiratory issues💔Stay safe out there, summertime sickness is upon us.”

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