My son is seven and a half months old, and he unfortunately got his first bee sting today.

I’m gonna start by saying he’s ok now.

So I’d taken him outside for some cute fall pictures, and pretty quickly he starts crying. Honestly I just thought it was teething pain so I gave him Tylenol and cuddled him for a while. He calmed down enough for the pictures so we got those over with, but he went back to being screamy and furious. When we went back inside, I took his Carhartt overalls off for a diaper change, and noticed a big red blotch on the top of his thigh. Instinct told me immediately it was a bee sting, probably the one that had landed on my shoulder at the start of pictures. I felt SO bad for not realizing sooner.

Right away after the diaper change I put a cold washcloth on it and called the pediatrician. His dad and his grandpa are both allergic to bees. A nurse called me back shortly after and gave me some tips to keep him comfortable if it didn’t seem like he was reacting (baking soda/water paste (this really made a difference), Tylenol, cold wash cloth).

I think the only reason the stinger didn’t get in his leg was these awesome Carhartts, which actually happen to be a present from his grandpa. 😆

He’s had two bottles since it happened and is napping next to me now. I know he isn’t totally out of the woods yet, but we’ve passed the three hour danger zone. Here’s hoping he takes after me and ISN’T allergic. 🙏🏼🤞🏼

Update, 2:40 am:

I’ve gotten maybe an hour and a half of sleep tonight after the sting. I’ve been up listening to him breathe and periodically checking the swelling on his leg, which has gotten dramatically worse. At one point I thought I was going to need to take him to the hospital but the swelling didn’t get any worse the next couple times I checked him.

Probably six or seven times so far, he’s wailed in his sleep. His paci calms him right down but I can tell he’s in pain. My poor bub 😭 Something in my gut tells me the next time he’s stung, he’s going to have a true allergic reaction. I think I’m going to call the pediatrician back in the morning and ask if they can order him an epipen just in case he ever gets stung again. I know there’s still a chance he’s not truly allergic, but better safe than sorry, right?