This pregnant woman just did a photoshoot with bees on her stomach, even though she’s allergic

Looking for an un-bee-lievable way to show off your baby bump? We hear a photoshoot with thousands of bees is all the buzz these days.

Bethany Karulak-Baker took to social media on 2 July to post photos from her shoot with bees to the Beekeeping Basics Facebook page.

In the post, she wrote:

Here are my maternity photos I promised to share. I wasn't stung once. The queen is tethered to my belly inside of a cage. We just dumped the bees on me and they naturally began to beard.

I was terrified as I am allergic, but it was worth it. This is roughly 10k bees. Cheers, everyone!

A screenshot of the post was then uploaded to Twitter, where it went viral:

And people had a lot of thoughts:

But as a result of the viral attention to the post, Karulak-Baker edited her post to include a disclaimer, as well as the “miraculous” reason for the photoshoot. The new lengthy Facebook caption read:

This isn’t just a photo of a woman with honeybees on her belly.

About a year ago, I suffered an extremely traumatic miscarriage. I was hospitalized, broken hearted, filled with self-blame, and distraught. As we drove away from Yampa Valley Medical Center, after losing our baby, I recall tearing up with the realization that my baby was left alone inside those brick walls; ultimately to be shipped away and examined.

I fell into a deep depression for months following the unexpected surgery. I struggled with my mental health, with how to interact with friends and family, and how to continue my responsibilities as a mother and wife.

A few months later, we became pregnant again. Instead of embracing our new miracle, I remember feeling confused and apprehensive. As time went on, well into the second trimester, I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about the pregnancy because of the fear of a repeat miscarriage. How would I explain the loss all over again?

Then, our country had succumbed to the pandemic. The next months involved me vomiting, sleeping all day and night, unable to help around the house, and feeling inadequate and defeated. There were no visitors, no lunch dates, no meetings, and because I had chosen not to tell anyone about the pregnancy, no one checking in. This time was not only unfamiliar and bizarre but was also extraordinarily emotionally challenging. In spite of all this, our family grew stronger, and, in hindsight, I realize that the quarantine allowed me to grow my baby in a stress-free environment with phenomenal nurturing from my husband. There was a massive silver lining to this presumably dark cloud. We, as a family, grew to love and support one another more than I could have ever imagined.

I am happy to say that I am 37 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby who will join us in a few short weeks. I am blessed beyond words that I have made it this far, through all the trials and tribulations, from the last 12 months. I have emerged from these events like a butterfly from a cocoon; strong, beautiful, and ready to take on the world. So, you see, this isn’t just a photo of a woman with honeybees on her belly. This photo represents much, much more. My only hope is that one day my children will look at this photo and see the warrior inside of me.

The mother-to-be has also written a separate post to address people who were concerned about the photoshoot.

Confirming she’s “commercial beekeeper” and “founder of a non-profit teaching local youth about protecting the pollinators”, Karulak-Baker said she doesn’t “care” about how she’s perceived by “the boundless army of armchair warriors belittling and criticizing” her.

Read the full post:

Please do not try this at home, folks.

indy100 reached out to Bethany Karulak-Baker for further comment.