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Original poster

Excuses excuses...

16 replies

bingeddybongo · 03/02/2013 16:31

Hello :) I'm 6 weeks pregnant and am really struggling with having to turn down an invitation to a friend's next weekend. We agreed weeks ago that dh and I and another couple would go round to theirs for food and drinks before all heading out to an annual festival in town - they came to ours last year - but without the booze I just can't face it (the festival is utter carnage). I only found out I was pregnant a couple of days ago and having felt rotten, I've told them I'm ill at the moment. But I can hardly predict I'm still going to be ill in a week and my friend's asking what we'd like for dinner... does anybody have any tried and trusted lines they can recommend for me, please?!! Thank you!!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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Mixxy · 03/02/2013 16:33

Antibiotics.

Nevercan · 03/02/2013 16:34

On a diet...

worsestershiresauce · 03/02/2013 16:37

New Year health resolution - means you can avoid alcohol and not eat much. Antibiotics is a bit of a give away.

Bunnychan · 03/02/2013 16:53

Water infection so taking antibiotics..this also excuses frequent loo trips x

Mixxy · 03/02/2013 17:03

Health resolution will only work if you're the sort of person who does things like that. If you think your friends would buy that, sure, try it.

Bejeena · 03/02/2013 18:14

I think that you have a few options so have a think about it, if they are good friends couldn't you just tell them and ask to keep it on the QT, and say dinner is fine but you really won't be up for the festival? This is the easiest option.

OTherwise if you really want to cancel then you have to be fair and do that now, while they still have a weeks notice. Could you not say that something has come up in your family and you need to go and see Mum/Dad/Brother/Sister/Aunt?

Or you go and ake up excuse for not drinking, but if you feel anything like I did at 6 weeks any social thing is really just too shattering, especially a festival.

If they are not good enough friends for you to want to tell then you shouldn't have to feel bad about cancelling I think.

Congrats on the pregnancy

meditrina · 03/02/2013 18:19

Go to dinner, accept (and sip) a drink: have DH help in get rid of a lot of it, so you appear to have a normal level of top ups.

Then dip out of the festival. Twist ankle? (Easy to bandage to add verisimilitude) So you cannot possibly face it, as standing too demanding.

stacey212528 · 03/02/2013 19:29

Antibiotics covered me for 12 weeks! Lol. X

Panzee · 03/02/2013 19:33

Congratulations!

Do these couples have children? Antibiotics just scream Pregnant to anyone who has been pregnant! Having said that if they have been through this before they will probably be nice and polite and pretend to believe you. :)
I would consider telling them and swearing them to secrecy if you think they can be trusted to it. Failing that, swapping drinks with husband is a good way to cover your tracks.

Original poster
bingeddybongo · 03/02/2013 20:01

Thank you all! I totally agree about giving a week's notice which is why I want to come up with an excuse as soon as possible. They are good friends but not so close I'd want to tell them yet, though they wouldn't be suspicious about the antibiotics (although the other friends going definitely would). Unfortunately the health thing's out as we did a detox January and they know we're over it as we'd been banging on about finally being able to have a drink this weekend! I'm sure dh would be MORE than happy to help with finishing off my drinks ;) but it's definitely more drinking plus food before we head out as opposed to a civilised dinner so it'd probably be a bit obvious. I had a hard enough time not drinking at a wedding yesterday when I wasn't with the same people all night! :)

So I guess I'll, um, be going to the doctor's tomorrow. Thank you all for your advice - and the congratulations :)

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llamallama · 03/02/2013 20:06

The only thing that worked for me was pretending to be so hung over that I couldn't face drinking!

The couple of times I did it, I even posted fake Facebook statuses the night before saying things like "hubby is out, so it's me, a bottle of red and a box set" and then at the event I would order a drink as normal, have a sip and be "ekkk I just can't face it, really shouldn't have drunk that whole bottle to myself last night, I'm not as young as I used to be!"

Etc etc!

That fooled all my friends....but you can only use it once!

Pontouf · 03/02/2013 20:54

If you are going to use the antibiotics excuse may I recommend Metronidazole if they ask which one, as it's one of the few that you really really can't drink with. Most of them are fine with booze but I had some spaghetti bolognaise with a bit of red wine in it when I was on metronidazole (for an infected wisdom tooth) and spent the evening chucking my guts up. Really not worth it.

CrumbyCrumbs · 03/02/2013 21:55

I went to a wedding when I was 8 weeks pg (I'm 24 wks now) and used the water infection excuse which worked a treat - didnt even have to mention antibiotics just quietly said to friends that alcogol would make the symptons far worse and its already extremely painful. People tend not to ask any more questions as its sucb an intimate prob :)

CrumbyCrumbs · 03/02/2013 21:56

Please excuse the typos - big thumbs+mobile phone touch screen=garbled response!!

plummyjam · 04/02/2013 17:40

Vomiting.

And diarrhoea if you want to embellish the fib. Both incompatible with a festival and boozing.

Original poster
bingeddybongo · 04/02/2013 17:41

Thank you all for your tips... I am now officially on Metronidazole and my friend has been so very lovely about the whole thing that I feel even worse than before! ;)

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