# Pregnant women and bee stings?



## Tim Vaughan (Jun 23, 2002)

Not to sound sensationalistic, and if it were my wife I'd let her go on, but once I had a dairy goat miscarriage right after a severe bee attack, so I'd make sure she wore her suit.


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## Robert Hawkins (May 27, 2005)

Jim if that were my wife and my child, she'd be watching from the living room window with binoculars. But it is possible to BK without being stung. With the correct and complete Personal Protective Equipment, anyone can keep a few hives and ask for help when she needs to load hives ontot he truck at night or something dangerous. With four hives there's no reason she can't wear a suit, veil, gloves, Tape cuffs, and work patiently.

I wish there were some refernces but you're not gonna find any. Cuz it is safe but no one wants to bet his career that she won't goof up. What a liability suit. And who's gonna volunteer for the test? Can you imagine putting adds in ABJ for expectant BKs? Volunteers get a free hive tool?

Have a safe and sound pregnancy,

Hawk


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## notaclue (Jun 30, 2005)

Hi Jim,

Congratulations and Good Luck! Hope your child is hale and healthy.

What did your OB doc say? They should have some info and if they don't hopefully they will research through their sources if for no other reason to learn and better help their patients. 
It would be quite a battle between my lovely wife and I, unless she was told no by the doc. David


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## David Stewart (Jan 22, 2005)

Jim,
For what it's worth I agree with Notaclue. Have her ask her OB. The relationship they develop is unbreakable and if she's like my wife, anything you tell her is hogwash until her OB confirms it. I've lived through that twice. Even when I told her something that her OB confirmed she simply passed it off as a lucky guess. Our OB basically said "whatever doesn't cause you pain now you may continue until it does". Of course I didn't have bees then either. Only time I really got in trouble was late in the preg. when I brought a brand new pair of "pulling chains" (still in the plastic wrap) to an office visit and told the doc that with the prices the hospital charges combined with the fact that I really needed a new pair anyway, I preferred we use mine if needed.....Doc laughed and fell off his stool and wife wouldn't speak to me for a week. Ended up not needing the chains but he did have to use a really cool looking set of stainless steel salad tongs....Darn hospital wouldn't let me keep them.

David


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## Lori McAllister (Sep 8, 2004)

Hi Jim,
I worked my 5 hives up until 1 month before I delivered my 4th baby in June. My midwife had no problem with it as long as I was careful and wore a full suite. I was careful not to lift too much, but I did get stung a few times, but never had a reaction. I always worked the hives when my husband was home, so that if there was a problem he was right there. If I needed to lift a super or deep I had him do it.
Some people may call me crazy, but I have always been strong and worked very hard all my life. Pregnancy never has slowed me down too much, infact I found that if I did not keep busy I got tired and actually depressed. That is just me though! Talk to the OB and congratulations on the little one coming!!


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## SantaCruzBee (Apr 23, 2004)

Speaking as an ER doc, but not having any specific references to cite, I'd say there shouldn't be any problem. As people have already mentioned, especially Lori, as long as your wife wears a full suit and avoids heavy lifting, even a sting here or there should not be a problem. An attack and stings by lots of bees would be another matter, but common sense and carefulness should make it a non-issue. It is always wise to discuss such things with your OB, but for a person without beesting allergy it is pretty much continue as per usual.


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## jim_R (Jan 11, 2005)

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your responses! We'll be speaking with the doctor next Wednesday. If she decides to help me wrap the hives up for the winter, I'll just make sure she wears gloves and plenty of duct tape around wrists and ankles. And so will I.

Stewaw - great story about the pulling chains. We both got a good laugh out of that one.

Jim


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## dickm (May 19, 2002)

It needs to be said. What if the mother is not allergic and the baby is? After all, it does have different genes. Also, the venom may not be the important thing to think about. It's what the mothers body does in reaction. What will the unborn do with a flush of hystamine? Or cortisone for that matter? I can't think of what else the body reacts with but I'm sure there's more.
Also, what if the mothers sting doesn't bother her but shows up in an allergic 12 yr old? I admit I know nothing about this but they are points to ponder.

Dickm


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## SilverFox (Apr 25, 2003)

My daughter's OB told her not to help me with bees as it could cause a reaction with the babies.


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## beeman 202 (Jan 8, 2003)

I wouldn't do it. The baby relies on oxygen perfusion through the placenta, pulling the oxygen from the mothers blood across a membrane, into the baby's blood. Slight constriction or slight dilation caused by histamines released either by the baby or by the mother will affect the availability of oxygen and nutrients to the baby. If the baby vasodilated from histamines and suffered brain damage from poor perfusion you would never know what happened, except gee whiz johny sure is a slow learner!

Also, fetal exposure to proteins in the bee venom would greatly increase the baby's future risk of allergy or sensitivity to bee sting venom. Fetal exposure to any un-motherly chemicals is d-d-d-d-dangerous.

Just because someone is "big and strong" doesn't mean the baby can handle exposure to foreign proteins/venoms.

ps: I was a medic in Air Force. 3 years labor/delivery. 4 years emergency medicine. 7 years aeromedical evacuation.


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