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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Won't be 12 weeks at Christmas

38 replies

Bobkins · 04/12/2011 15:12

I have just found out that I am pregnant and my first scan will be in January. I am just wondering if anyone has any hints and tips on getting through the next few weeks from a not drinking point of view, I don't want everyone to guess but I am usually a big wine drinker. Can anyone offer any advise ?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
kirrinIsland · 04/12/2011 19:43

I've just managed a weekend away without anyone really noticing I wasn't drinking. In the house I had a secret stash of non-alcoholic beers that fooled everyone, and in the pub I went for gin and tonics with no gin - I did have a friend in the know to help me with that one though!

goingmadtrying · 04/12/2011 19:59

I've told closest family and will drive to works Xmas do and say I Couldnt afford to drink and the taxi! I just so want to tell everyone

I'M PREGNANT!!!!!

brettgirl2 · 05/12/2011 09:23

If you drink white wine then white grape juice really is a completely convincing looking replacement.

VikingLady · 05/12/2011 09:35

Are you prone to upset tummy? I am, so I told people I had a problem with my stomach lining that was like a threatened ulcer, and I'd been told to lay off alcohol or it would turn into one. No-one wants to know details...

llamallama · 05/12/2011 09:50

I fell pregnant last January sO it was easy to hide as no one tends to do much jan/feb but the times that I did go out the 'hungover' excuse seems to work best!

Sometimes I would even have a sip of someone else's drink 'to see if I felt better' and then I would say 'nope, too soon, can't stomach it!'

I would even go to the extent of posting fake Facebook statuses the night before! Like "off for a dinner date with the hubby" and then later "we should have stopped after just the one bottle" etc! When really we were just sat at home watching telly and drinking water!

KatAndKit · 05/12/2011 10:19

I agree that the "antibiotics" excuse will have everyone guessing that you are pregnant but tbh they are unlikely to say straight out what they are thinking.

I agree that making it look like you are drinking a little but not a lot will work just as well. When people are drinking themselves they won't pay that much attention. Problem comes when a round buying system is in force in a pub. That is a bit harder, and driving is your best bet with that one.

Half orange, half cranberry juice, with ice, looks like a convincing cocktail. Pretend it has vodka in.
Lime and soda could just as easily have vodka in it.

If you want to go for illness, pick something people won't want to know about!

maybunny · 05/12/2011 14:09

I personally didn't go down the route of complete lying, as I just didn't feel comfortable lying to my friends faces! Plus I figured that when I told them they would prob think back and realise I was a barefaced liar!
Like a lot of posters have said, it is surprising how unobservant people are, and it just feels like everyone is monitoring you, but they really aren't!
My toughest situation was going to a wedding at 10 weeks - I got my DH to go the bar and buy alcohol free Becks and pour it into a half pint glass. He subtly drank my wine for me at the table, and for the toast I sneakily went and got an appetiser in a spare champagne glass and DH again got to drink my proper champagne! (Was hard as I love wine/champagne!)
I think if you get one 'proper drink' and nurse it all night/chuck it in the nearest pot plant then get other drinks that look like alcohol (lots of good suggestions already) you should be alright.
Congrats as well!

lidldarling · 05/12/2011 14:16

People aren't very observant. Just keep accepting drinks and get your DP to drink them or take them away. People will however sit up and take notes if you start making excuses.

Just a thought - I had similar timing and wanted to be able to tell my parents. I had a scan at 8 weeks which confirmed the heartbeat. At this point you have a very high chance of a successful pregnancy, over 90% I think. It is lovely Christmas news!

Coldcuppacoffee · 05/12/2011 21:08

Here's my two pennies:

When you buy a round, get yourself a tonic with no gin ( but make sure that they don't give you a different glass - sometimes they do). Then next round say that they accidentally gave you a double and you'll just have a tonic water to top it up.
If you normally drink wine say that gin and slim line has fewer calories and you're mixing it up a bit.

Get yourself a clutch handbag and hold the glass in the same hand so you can't physically get it into your mouth! That helped me to remember. Then pop to the loo and pour some away.

Don't do a glass swap with DH unless you are SURE no one's looking.

At lunchtime you can use the driving later.

Keep circulating the room so people can't count.

There's a drink called lemon and lime bitters - lemoonade, lime and angostura bitters which looks like a long drink but isn't.

Watch the food. If people don't know you that well, it's easier to say you don't like pate/ cheese.

Btw - there's also a drug for thrush which is no drinking - that will shut them up.

I decided that I would go nuts at someone who asked me outright and tell them it is absolutely not their place to say such things then neither confirm or deny.

Fwiw, most people won't notice, particularly when they've had a few ( oh yes, turn up late, leave early). I was at a dinner with my MD and clients and I was the only one with wine left and still no one noticed).

Good luck.

MiauMau · 05/12/2011 21:31

UTI is definitely a good one, no visible from outside and you'll get a pat on the back from people that had it before :o

samwellsbutt · 06/12/2011 10:48

having been on the antibiotics mentioned up thread i can tell you they do in fact make you throw up really horribly. i forgot about the no alcohol and had a nice brandy sauce on something when i went out for dinner. an hour later my guts were spewing every were.
then every time i drank for a month after i was sick,i thought i had caused myself some permanent damage, the irony was i was actually pregnant.
however most people now know that all but a very few antibiotics are fine with booze so not sure thats a good a cover as it use to be.

Bobkins · 06/12/2011 18:32

Thanks for all your comments. Just about to embark on my first 'pregnant night out'. Followed the advice, got here really early brought two mocktail by the time my friends arrive I will have had enough as I've got a 'big day' at work tomorrow. Feel much more confident xx

OP posts:
rosebery · 06/12/2011 22:05

When i found out I was pregnant with both mine, I used to ask for 'just half a glass' of wine to start with. Then I would just hold the glass without sipping - everyone soon forgets whether the glass is half full or half empty, iyswim! Then, when its my round, I'd get a tonic water which easily masquerades as a g&t.

Now I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I do like a becks blue non alcoholic beer if I can find it. But its so convincing, I feel I have to be explaining to all that it isn't 'really' beer - kind of the opposite problem really!

Have a great party season. :)

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