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Original poster

Early pregnancy - what excuses did you use for not drinking?

53 replies

ShirleyPhallus · 19/07/2019 08:28

I’ve found out I’m pregnant which is lovely but a little unexpected (we thought it would take ages and conceived on the first go....!) and as such have loads of social commitments over the next few months

What excuses did you use for not drinking?

OP posts:

DreamingofSunshine · 19/07/2019 09:18

I had a wedding at 9/10 weeks. I said I'd had norovirus earlier in the week and still felt rough.

Ginger1982 · 19/07/2019 09:20

My friend googled really the names of strong antibiotics that you absolutely can't drink with and said she was on them for various things!

Chista · 19/07/2019 09:21

It always intrigues me that people feel they need to make an excuse for not having an alcoholic drink, like drinking alcohol is the norm and drinking water or a soft drink raises eyebrows.
I don't drink so it never crossed any minds that I was pregnant. Driving is a good excuse, I have seen the antibiotic and medecine excuse fail

Interested in this thread?

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1st trimester Families General pregnancy

edgeofheaven · 19/07/2019 09:25

It always intrigues me that people feel they need to make an excuse for not having an alcoholic drink, like drinking alcohol is the norm and drinking water or a soft drink raises eyebrows.

In British culture drinking alcohol is sort of the norm.

I've moved abroad and people will have soft drinks or tea at a party, no one bats an eyelid and it's not about pregnancy.

However elaborate explanations are always lies, everyone knows that. If you're really so ill you're on antibiotics it's either something gross you wouldn't want to broadcast, or you'd be so ill that you'd be at home not at the party.

Original poster

ShirleyPhallus · 19/07/2019 09:27

No one else is interested. No need to make up any lies.

Charming

OP posts:

Original poster

ShirleyPhallus · 19/07/2019 09:29

Congratulations @LauraT2011! That’s exactly how I feel, some of these events then no one would believe that I wouldn’t be drinking. Especially Friday-night-in-with-the-girls type things where there are so few of you. Happy birthday also

OP posts:

bebeboeuf · 19/07/2019 09:33

I didn’t say anything.
If I was given an alcoholic drink I would hold it a short while and either swap with DH or put it down.

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 19/07/2019 09:34

edge

Yes

Not everyone...but as i also said i wasn't much of a drinker so i didnt need to use the antibiotics excuse very often, maybe once a pregnancy

Loopytiles · 19/07/2019 09:35

Some people will speculate immediately. if they’re polite they won’t say anything.

If you really don’t want people to speculate buy and nurse one alcoholic drink, eg bottle of beer, and don’t actually drink it!

Eminybob · 19/07/2019 09:47

An excuse not to use - I said I had an appointment to give blood the next day (I had had one booked as it happens but had cancelled it due to being pregnant) and that I couldn’t give blood if I had been drinking the night before (as I assumed this to be the case) but apparently it doesn’t matter and I was called out about it

HellYeah90s · 19/07/2019 09:52

Congrats OP!

It depends what situation it was, first I have used the driving one, or pretend to get a vodka and orange.

GrandmaSharksDentures · 19/07/2019 09:54

I've recently noticed that alcohol makes me anxious & paranoid the next day (really does - I'm not pregnant) so I'm not drinking because of this. Everyone I've told has been very understanding & not asked any more questions

YouWhoNeverArrived · 19/07/2019 10:21

Just accept a drink, sip it very slowly, and put it down halfway through the night and move onto soft drinks. A few sips of wine will be metabolised long before they reach your baby, let alone cause problems.

NickMyLipple · 19/07/2019 10:25

I just pretended I was drinking!

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 19/07/2019 10:27

I managed to get through my 40th and 50th (early!!!) parties without drinking

I always had a drink I’d ‘put down somewhere’ or a glass of something that looked like it might be alcoholic

People still thought id had a few though

amusedbush · 19/07/2019 10:38

No one else is interested. No need to make up any lies.

A couple of months ago I had a stomach bug and was really unwell for 24 hours. The nausea lasted for another few days and colleagues made comments about knitting hats and booties.

You can't even mention feeling sick without people assuming you're pregnant so evidently people do care. If you actually are and want to keep it quiet then you will need a few good lies up your sleeve.

CollaterlyS1sters · 19/07/2019 10:47

The nausea lasted for another few days and colleagues made comments about knitting hats and booties.You can't even mention feeling sick without people assuming you're pregnant so evidently people do care.

They made comments because you said you were feeling sick multiple times. This attracted attention to the fact that you were feeling sick.

As you can see from the number of posters on this thread who did just fine without needing elaborate lies, unless you draw attention to it, no one will notice.

No one is the star of anyone else's movie.

amusedbush · 19/07/2019 10:55

They made comments because you said you were feeling sick multiple times

Actually I just looked like shit, someone asked if I was okay and I said I felt sick. Once.

They must have mentioned it to someone else and then people asked ME repeatedly.

NoSauce · 19/07/2019 11:03

Say you’ve got a hangover and are giving it a miss.

CollaterlyS1sters · 19/07/2019 11:05

Actually I just looked like shit, someone asked if I was okay and I said I felt sick. Once.They must have mentioned it to someone else and then people asked ME repeatedly.

You mentioned once to one perso that you felt sick,and for days, other people were coming up to you and making unsolicited comments about knitting booties?!

Ok then.

As the more typical experiences on this thread show, unless you make a huge deal out of how you're not drinking (looking up names of antibiotics?!) No one will make a thing of it. Even more so if they're pissed

emilyhamptoncakeslice · 19/07/2019 11:10

Say you've got a stomach ulcer it will also excuse any nibbling on biscuits etc

PartridgeJoan · 19/07/2019 11:20

Prior to becoming pregnant I was on Metformin which made me feel really nauseous whenever I drank so I just stuck with that. However Metformin is often used to help people conceive and one of my friends (who is a nurse) secretly twigged that we were trying.

Clevs · 19/07/2019 11:20

I found out I was pregnant mid July and had a summer full of social events that had already been organised.

The first one was a hen do the day I found out (I did a test as I had my suspicions and wanted to know whether I could drink). The hen do was about 30 miles away and my
Mum and auntie were going too. I offered to drive as I knew the area, my auntie didn't drive and although my mum was happy to drive as she doesn't drink I said I didn't mind as I had to get up early the next morning (see next paragraph!).

The next day I was going to Wimbledon with a friend. When we went out for dinner on the Saturday night I bought a non-alcoholic cider in the pub beforehand (she didn't notice). Then when we were sat down for dinner I declined wine saying I was just really thirsty as it was a warm day. Then when we went to watch the tennis on the Sunday I refused to pay the 'extortionate prices' for Pimms and had an ice cream instead. When I told my friend I was pregnant a couple of months later she said she had suspicions but didn't really think much of my excuses.

Then I went to a beer festival with my brother and work colleagues. I had to say that I didn't want to put my husband out by collecting me as he had to get up for work the next day so I'd decided to drive (who drives to a beer festival?!).

Then I had a festival to go to with my husband, brother and cousin. My husband and I had been telling my brother and cousin for ages how good a weekend the festival normally is and how we start drinking early on in the day etc. Then all weekend I was having to make up excuses why I wasn't drinking. Fortunately it was a scorching weekend so I just said I was really thirsty as it was so hot. I did have a few non-alcoholic ciders and tipped them into a glass so the label wasn't visible. When I got given a glass of wine that my brother gave me I just looked at my husband not knowing what to do and he acted drunk and snatched the glass of me pretending he wanted more and downed it.

Then we had a family wedding about 30 miles away. As it was on my side of the family I would normally drink and my husband would drive. When I got questioned by my brother (the same brother that came to the festival and beer festival!) why I wasn't drinking I just said that my husband doesn't like driving my car. My brother questioned my husband over a cigarette saying that he's noticed that I wasn't drinking and didn't drink at the festival either and my husband just said I'd gone off it. My brother genuinely didn't put two and two together all summer.

amusedbush · 19/07/2019 11:25

You mentioned once to one person that you felt sick,and for days, other people were coming up to you and making unsolicited comments about knitting booties?!

Ok then.

I didn't say that. I said I felt sick for a few days. A colleague said I'd been looking a bit off and asked if I okay, I said I'd been feeling ill for a few days. They made a comment about getting started on a hat and booties for me.

The same person mentioned it elsewhere and THAT SAME DAY I had a couple of people catch me in the kitchen/corridor/by my desk and ask if I had any news in a nudge nudge wink wink way.

Itstheprinciple · 19/07/2019 11:25

I just told people I was pregnant. I had some early bleeding so had to tell work because I was backwards and forwards for early scans. I figured if something did happen, I would tell these people anyway so they might as well know. This was in the days before social media though so it wasn't like I did a big reveal or anything (wouldn't have anyway because of all the worries) I just threw it into conversation when I saw people. MIL did say 'ooh, I'm surprised you've told people. I thought you'd be one of those who waited until 12 weeks' and I thought you just can't win!

Anyway, pregnancy is now 12 up DD so all's well that ends well.

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