Getting out of work trip

[MrsSkilly]

I am due to go away for one night next week with work which I do probably 3 or 4 times a year. However, this time I am 7 weeks pregnant. Of course, no one in my office knows yet so I will find it difficult being away with them and not letting it slip. Plus we will inevitably be having a few drinks whilst there and I normally smoke when I'm away so someone is bound to notice that I am doing neither. I'm also not sleeping particularly well and feeling quite sick in the mornings so just can't be bothered with it.

I'm tempted to tell my boss that I have too much work on to go and see if she lets me off the hook. I don't want to be one of those precious pregnant people but I just really don't fancy a night away at this stage.

WWYD?

Tbh I would try to suck it up and go. But only you know if you are up to it.

Can you begin mentioning an infection and say you are on antibiotics so can't drink? And if someone mentions you not smoking, claim you only smoke when you drink?

Becks non alcoholic beer is really nice and the bottle looks almost exactly like the alcoholic one - you could make sure you get the round in when you are ordering yourself one.

Stick a plaster on your arm and say it's a nicotine patch and you are giving up?

Just start talking this week about how you've realised its only x weeks till your holiday and you've got to diet and detox.

Start on the herbal tea etc, healthy food now and no one will think about it next week.

I think you're all right. Have already talked about switching to decaf as suffering from lots of caffeine related headaches and cutting down drinking in order to lose weight. I don't really smoke at work so that isn't an issue, it's just when we're away as a lot of my other colleagues are social smokers.

I'm figuring if I go to this one, I'm more likely to get out of the ones later in the year when it will be harder for me to spend all day on my feet.

Develop a nasty infectious stomach bug. No-one will want to be anywhere near you.

For the smoking just say you're trying to quit.

With drinking its easier if you normally drink spirits as you can have 'vodka and coke' without the vodka.

Or as pp have said start saying you're cutting down the booze/dieting and detox now.

TreadSoftly that would most definitely work. Last time I had a tummy bug hangover my boss made me stay off work for 3 days My problem is that I'm not a very good liar!

I had to do an overseas work trip ( by shared car and Eurostar) at 10 weeks pg with horrific constant nausea.
I managed but I did tell one person as I thought it was important in case of emergency.
Nobody noticed I didn't drink

I wouldn't go the antibiotics route as its a classic excuse for not drinking when pregnant.

They could guess from the detox/diet excuse but its not so obvious especially if you have the odd alcohol free beer or mixer without the alcohol.

I am with the suck it up crowd. I did an overseas work trip at 10 weeks. I felt pretty awful and a couple of people did guess (but were too polite to say anything until after I announced).

I normally drink wine or G&T so maybe could just have soda and lime slices or lemonade. I'm always talking about being more healthy so think I can get away with it if I start talking about it a little more this week.

Hopping I also feel like I should tell someone to take the pressure off a little. I know my boss would go mental if she knew as she's crazy about health and safety and correct protocol, etc. but I also don't feel ready to tell her yet.

I actually was more up for being social at 30 weeks than I was at 7 weeks! Horrible time to go out if you're sick, knackered and trying to hide the pregnancy. So I wouldn't use that as a plan.

I'd honestly feign a bit of illness throughout the week and give yourself an excuse to either not go at all if you don't feel up for it - you don't have to go if you don't feel up for it - or to stick to soft drinks if you do go.

That's the thing, thurlow, I really don't feel like socialising and just want to have an early night in my own bed. The whole day of being in front of clients isn't even an issue. I think I will see how I feel towards the end of my week and make a decision. And if I do go, I will just claim to be on a major health kick and try and remember not to order a burger for dinner

Unless your colleagues are smokers insisting on being outside fag in hand NO-ONE will notice that you've stopped.
Drinking is trickier esp if its usually an excuse to get a bit tiddly at the company's expense/team building trip. Telling people you're on a health kick usually just results in pleading to have the night off. Saying you've got a stinking hangover and can't look at booze has more chance of success in my experience plus you can go to bed early. The next day just say you don't feel well - they won't be in great shape either. Sparking water with cucumber instead of lime looks like a G&T is my tip tip!
Looking back your boss will make the connection so feigning illness doesn't send the right message if you are serious about your job and hanging onto it. A few really early nights like 8pm before you go can help and if you can skip lunch and check emails have a power nap mid afternoon all the better