Hiding pregnancy @Christmas Party???!?

[CookieKatie]

I've seen a couple of these posted already so sorry to repeat.

I've just realised i have no idea what on earth I'm gonna do to get around my works do without my not drinking looking obvious

It is on a Wednesday which helps but we get drinks on arrival. Plus my lovely colleagues know I'm a wine lover

Excuses please!

Ps. I work in the NHS and some of my colleagues are nurses and very good friends so not above asking the question am I preggo
Pps. Gonna use the horrible cold i have as an excuse to get out of drinking with them this Friday and I used 'trying to remember everything' from not drinking on my wedding day last week, thinking a third time not drinking will be super obvious.

Loving these sip and ditch ideas! Going to use that for one of three events over Christmas, otherwise I'm driving as early up the next morning! No harassment there!

I'm allergic to penicillin and the anti-biotic a I take you really can't drink with (well unless you want to risk hallucinations).

Can you arrive early, or contact ahead and make sure you are greeted with a special cocktail?

Order 'vodka' orange, and tell people you have quit wine because of sensitive teeth??

Thanks for the tips all!!

Think I may just pull this off!
I like the sensitive teeth thing with the wine too - a very great excuse to explain I'm òff the vino

I think the best thing to do is not make a big deal of it. An elaborate or really weird excuse is always going to ring alarm bells!

I went away with work early in pregnancy and they normally turn into quite boozy events. I was asked a couple of times why I wasn't drinking but I just said that I had a headache and was really thirsty but would get a drink in a bit. Eventually I got a soda water with lime in it and pretended it was gin and tonic.

I just didn't drink at my Christmas parties. I was around 14 weeks. People asked "why aren't you drinking?" and looked suspiciously at me. I just said "because I'm not". If anybody had asked if I was pregnant I would have said no.

It's nobody's business until you tell them.

Another option is there a close work friend who is going and you could mention it that on pain of death If they tell anyone else. Then swap glasses.

You want your wine glass approx 2/3rds full, (if you can find a way to ditch a third or short-pour your own). Never enough to need a refill, not so full everyone notices it's always full. (I did FIVE weddings in one first trimester, including both my brothers', and was only rumbled by one person who noticed I didn't eat my pâté!)

Does a sip do any damage? Just worry incase people don't actually notice you put it to your lips!

I can't imagine a sip does the slightest bit of harm

I think this is really hard. I would notice if a friend at a table of 5 ordered a glass of wine and didn't drink it. I definitely think arriving early and getting your own drink that looks alcoholic but isn't could work, or find the waiter/waitress and get them to help you?!
If you have to order at the table, maybe say you're not feeling great when you arrive and you want to hydrate first and that you'll drink once you're feeling better/hydrated. By which point others will have already had some drink and will be less likely to notice that you're not drinking yours. Are you sporty? You could say you've just been to the gym and are really thirsty?!

Hi All!!

I said I'd post an update as promised:
I am now 11 weeks and so far only one person has clocked me and that is a very perceptive best friend who spotted me handing a shot off to my husband at a wedding (no way of hiding faking a shot bought for me haha).

Christmas party went really well. I was quite lucky (fates must have been on my side).
I was most nervous about the Bucks fizz reception, luckily as I got in they'd run out and the waitress had gone to get another bottle. So I poured myself an orange juice. The group I was with said "is that plain juice?" I said "no" then took a sip and laughed "yes woops" turned around to see the waitress coming back "oh I timed that poorly, you better remind me to circle back when I've finished this" but then we got seated and we all forgot.

I went to the bar while it was empty during courses and asked for a "tonic water that looks like a gin and tonic" the bartender looked at me and said "not drinking tonight?" I said "not for the next nine months so I'll be ordering thelse the rest of the night please!" He was lovely and everytime I went to the bar he said "same as last time?" So never had to order a soft drink in front of everyone.

Whilst I was back at the table. I drank my 'gin' and even pretended to take a sip of wine they all drank. Luckily the first lot of wine had corked so was able to fake afree someone else declared it so I took a 'sip' and acted "ugh that's got a bit of a kick at the end". Then later on had another 'sip' of someone else's glass guessed and said it was nice only for them to say it was from the same bottle! Luckily they thought it was cos I'd been drinking and had gone taste blind haha.

I'd say just try and play it super cool. Pretend to 'Sip' others drinks when they offer and drink soft drinks disguised as harder drinks. Mock tails also work and if anyone has a sip and says they can't taste the alcohol laugh it off like "oh excuse me Im only on my second and I can taste it haha"

Only struggle is shots!! Still not sure how to get away with that one!

Hope this helps you all