My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

What's your cover story to hide pg from friends or colleagues

24 replies

Jbck · 19/03/2007 20:18

I'm only about 6/7 weeks pg & feeling fine, bit tired but nothing else(so far) had MS till 6 months last time so hoping things will keep going as is for now.
Problem is I'm going away with some colleagues in a couple of weeks & we usually have a meal & a few drinks after (quite a few tbh) but I'm not drinking & don't want to divulge pg yet. What's a good cover, anyone used one that didn't raise loads of questions or eyebrows. I'm usually first to the bar so it'll need to be quite good. We've a few social events coming up that I could use it for too if it's good. All you inventive MNs can conjure up something plausible I'm sure.
TIA

OP posts:
Report
SparklyGothKat · 19/03/2007 20:20

Say you are on meds that react with alcohol

Report
hollyandalice · 19/03/2007 20:20

I can't drink I'm on antibiotics is always a good cover!! Then you do get funny looks as people wonder what strange illness you have!!

Report
Nikki76 · 19/03/2007 20:23

You are detoxing.....its very in at the moment, espec as its not that long after Xmas......

Report
PurpleLostPrincess · 19/03/2007 20:25

I did get some funny looks when I had been telling people I was off work with a really bad bug but then my SIL had her baby and I went to visit her. You could tell they were thinking it was a bad idea to go into a hospital and see a newborn if I had a bug but I just thought 'they'll know when I want them to know!'.

Anyway, I agree that saying you're on anti-biotics is a good idea. Maybe you could say they're for 'plumbing problems' so you don't have to discuss it in detail?

Report
BibiThree · 19/03/2007 20:26

I started this thread at Christmas time and had lots of good ideas. Hope one of them suits you.

And congrats!

Report
Megglevache · 19/03/2007 20:26

Message withdrawn

Report
madrose · 19/03/2007 20:26

ibs - alcohol and certain foods trigger it.

Report
chocolatekimmy · 19/03/2007 21:13

Pretend you are having a big night out just before you go and then how paraletic you got etc so when you have the night out with them, you have a good excuse not to following the state you got yourself in a few days earlier (lots of lying though)

That you have a night out the following night and you are saving yourself.

Have a glass in your hand and just pretend to sip it and if you can get away with it, tip some away if you go to loo or no one is looking or swap the glass. With a short, get the drink yourself and ask the barman to just put the mixer splash in a shorts glass

By the time everyone has had a few it will become easier.

That you have been ill with diarhorrea in the morning

Medication - antibiotics for cystitis or sinus infection

That you have given up alcohol for Lent

Report
Jbck · 19/03/2007 21:18

Bibithree, I am almost still hungover from our Christmas do it was that bad , haven't read all the thread yet but will do later. So far I think I'll go with Ladies infection of a non-sexual nature. Nosey buggers will quiz me cos they're like that, but I'll just says it's too personal.
Nikki76 detoxing story will fall down at the first sign of chocolate unfortunately & they'll know I'm lying.

OP posts:
Report
MrsMar · 19/03/2007 21:20

someone asked me if I had given up alcohol for Lent, I hadn't thought of that as an excuse, but I leapt at the suggestion and said yes straight away!!! No one has suspected a thing!

Report
MrsMar · 19/03/2007 21:21

someone asked me if I had given up alcohol for Lent, I hadn't thought of that as an excuse, but I leapt at the suggestion and said yes straight away!!! No one has suspected a thing!

Report
MrsMar · 19/03/2007 21:23

oops double post! I also used to say I was only going for one drink and then buy the first round and sneakily get myself a lemonade and tell everyone it was vodka and lemonade, or gin and tonic! that can get quite expensive though, you could always plead poverty and say as you can't afford rounds could you just buy your own drinks and then do the same thing...

Report
bramblina · 19/03/2007 21:25

I had glandular fever a few years previous and was able to say it had come back again. If you're wise you can "diagnose" yourself a few weeks before the event then when it comes to it it won't be questioned!

Report
kickassangel · 19/03/2007 21:34

bibithree - did you manage to surprise dh for christmas?

Report
Jamantha · 19/03/2007 21:43

Try claiming you've got an ear infection that's making you feel dizzy so are on anti-vertigo medication. I had that medication instead of antibiotics in December and used it as an excuse for not drinking while away for the weekend with old girlfriends from university in December. We always drink plenty when we get together, so I was worried that they'd suss something if I didn't drink, especially as they all had small children so were well clued up on the signs of pregnancy. But none of them guessed a thing! I think it wasn't wuite as obvious as the antibiotics line so they fell for it.

Report
Woooozle100 · 20/03/2007 11:14

All the other suggestions are good - don't do what I did.. I basically told my friend that I wasn't drinking. Straight away she asks why, I hadn't prepared an answer (?!) so the first thing to come into my head and spill out of my mouth was.. "Er. I don't really want to talk about it. Er .. my drinking has been getting very out of control of late.. I've been drinking excessively every night.." Wahhh! I practically confessed to being an alcoholic. And I'm not. I liked a drink - but could take it or leave it, like.

She was so sympathetic and supportive (Well done you for facing up to it and trying to do something about it - that takes real guts) that after I put the phone down I felt absolutely terrible - I had to call her back, confess I was lying and really I am pregnant.

Report
FC2007 · 20/03/2007 12:27

ejb1976 - PMSL that is so funny .

Report
BibiThree · 21/03/2007 13:18

No I caved and told DH that night...as soon as he walked in the door in fact! I am rubbish at keeping secrets, must have been pregnancy hormones that made me think I could do it in the first place.
as for the Christmas do, being pg with twins put paid to needing any excuses, I was so sick and tired and rough feeling I didn't even go to work that week anyway.

Report
GermanGal · 21/03/2007 15:10

Hi - I'm new, but I just had to add to this thread I'm 7 weeks pregnant (first time, yeeaahh!) and I had to go out with colleagues a few days ago....and was totally petrified about what to do about drinks .... anyway, I noticed they had blackcurrant juice on the menu, which looks EXACTLY like red wine!! I paid for the first round and asked the waiter to serve it in a wine glass.... I gave him the reason why and so he brought me blackcurrant juice all night long - worked perfectly!!!!

Report
TheTeaLady · 04/04/2007 13:43

I'm dealing with this now too!
Went out for dinner recently, and The Husband and I did lots of swticheroos with our wine glasses. No one noticed and both our glasses were topped up at the same rate. This worked pretty well except Husband ended up quite pissed, which was remarkably boring as I was stone-cold sober!
I have one friend, B, who knows (am only 7 weeks) so I've decided if anyone invites me out, I'll be busy - seeing B.
I'll also be seeing a lot of movies with friends - then I won't drink before because "I don't want to have to go to the bathroom during the film."
I'm such a bad liar though - wishing I wasn't such a lush pre-pg!!!!

Report
tinasparkle79 · 04/04/2007 15:14

I had this dilemma last Thursday. I just told everyone I had a kidney infection and was off the booze. Worked a treat. I can never use the antibiotics one because I have been telling everyone that it's OK to drink when you take them - which is true and was just on BBC news (I think). When they started to get suspicious I gave them a detailed account of two bouts of cystitis and how the bacteria backs up into your kidneys. That shut them up.

Sick to death of drinking loads of soft drinks by the end if the evening though and drunk friends are annoying.

Report
bertieboo · 04/04/2007 16:43

Ask the barman to put ginger ale in a champagne glass and no one will ever know the difference. Just make sure you drink it as if it were champagne instead of guzzling it like i did - much to everyones amusement! (i said i was very thirsty. hmmmm)

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Clydesdaleclopper · 04/04/2007 19:06

Cystitis is the best excuse because alcohol aggravates it and you have to take antibiotics.

Report
charNbump · 10/04/2007 12:51

i used the antibiotics trick...... also on another "girly night out" i said dp was out with the lads and he was gonna ring for a lift at the end of the night so i couldn't drink as i'd probably end up driving just kept doing loads of phone-checks for text/phone calls from him, then said later in the night, he decided to get a taxi (i obviously done a pretend annoyed-with-him thing) then carried on with the night. no-one guessed! xxx

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.