how to “hide” early pregnancy over the Christmas period?

[littlebumbles]

I found out I was pregnant last week, very exciting BUT during the run upto Christmas there’s also a big family birthday to celebrate and a girls trip away, and drinking will be involved, they’ve already told me what they’ve bought to drink for the train ride!
I don’t drink a lot anyway, but on “special” occasions I would have a glass with everyone just to be polite and celebrate, I don’t want to be questioned as to why I’m not having a drink with everyone as I’m sure my mum will guess straight away, she literally asked me a day after taking the HPT if i was pregnant!! I told her no, as we want to wait until i’m 12 weeks (I told her early when I was pregnant with my DS four years ago and she told other people which I don’t want her to do this time!) but I swear she just knows these things!

Obviously I’m not going to have a drink, but I feel like i need to be prepared with some excuses as to why I don’t want to have one for the entire Christmas period with out raising any suspicions?!

We found out I was pregnant 5 days before a close friends wedding where several other good friends were there also. Any excuse of not drinking wouldn't have washed and they would have suspected instantly. I drank pink shloer, sneaking it into a wine glass and no one suspected. Then on a celebration night out a few weeks later when everyone was drinking on the train, did the same but poured the juice into miniature rose wine bottles and drank with a straw. Good luck, it is super stressful hiding it! But a lovely secret to have between you and DH

Fake drinking!

People really aren't paying that much attention.

So accept the odd glass, and touch it to your lips from time to time. Inveigle DH/DP to swop glasses with you so the level in your glass decreases (just ask them to hold it for a second, then take the other one back).

Drink plain tonic water - everyone will assume there's gin in it.

Talk about crippling hangover if necessary, to justify having only one/drinking slowly

I used to accept/ order a drink and sip it very slowly (drink half of it at the most ( then when was able to get my own non alcoholic version. So get a single vodka tonic then just onto tonic.
I find it more obvious when people come up with some strange reason why they aren't drinking!

If you don't drink a lot anyway people won't notice, theyll just see you drinking.

Might not be possible for you. But my DB and his wife "hid" her pregnancy successfully for 12 weeks by saying that they were trying for a baby and the dr had told them not to drink. If your family know it's on the cards anyway, you could try that? Obviously it won't work if you want them to know nothing at all! Congratulations

Switch glasses with your other half.

Congratulations OP! I poured the white grape shloer into a wine bottle last Christmas at our works party for pre drinks and no one suspected a thing ;) then when I got to the venue I told the barman I couldn’t drink alcohol but please could he make it look like I was just for the night... I know not every bar man gets it but he winked at me, patted his tummy and said ‘of course I can... so what Can I get you?’ So if I ordered an ‘alcoholic’ beverage he made it up but the virgin version and again no one knew. The few reasons that could be given like ‘on antibiotics’ wouldn’t wash with them unfortunately so I just had to stealth up and appear to have had a few glasses but not be drunk 😂 after when I told work it was all fake they were mightily disappointed as they thought I was magnificent at not being a light weight! Haha.

People will guess, especially other mothers. I’ve got an eagle eye for women nursing the same glass of champagne all night . But it’s your news. You don’t have to share. Just keep schtum and say you’re not up for a big booze up.

I found out this time of year too and I also found people don't really notice if you don't make a big deal out of it. Just touch the glass to your lips every now and then. Order your own drinks if you can. Swap glasses with DH. If anyone comments just say it's giving you a bit of a headache so your taking it slow.

Say you are on antibiotics. The one that makes you sick if you have a whiff of alcohol.

Congrats!

I think people are too wise to the old "I'm on antibiotics" line and will see straight through it. I'd have a drink but just sip it/swap it at random intervals. Less stress.

I was a fake drinker - schloer, ginger ale, lemonade with lime in etc. Antibiotics excuse doesn't work - people see right through it.

However I was a big drinker before having my DS so it wouldn't raised flags if I just stopped suddenly.

The train drinking might be tricky though...

I was pregnant at a wedding recently where one of Dh's mates had told us of his suspicions. He is lovely so I don't mind. When he said does anyone want a drink from the bar I said 'oh yes please a glass of rose' I then just nursed it for the next 5 hours.

You've gone t total, then launch into an earnest rant about how bad alcohol is for you. They may be pissed offbut you would have successfully deflected the attention away from your pregnancy

Congrats! I'd get a raging dose of IBS. Honestly. It's the best excuse. You can say you're on Omprazole and that you really can't make it worse as you don't want to spend xmas on the loo so you're taking it easy booze wise. Also gives an excuse for your eating habits changing (which they possibly will anyway) and you can always say 'the gp asked me to do a reduction diet - nuts it's over Christmas though' with a sad face. You can also get quite sick from IBS so it's an excellent excuse. You'll get the jokes of 'you're not pregnant are you' but just laugh it off with 'Chance would be a fine thing' and you'll totally style it out. Anyone with IBS themselves will just be very sympathetic.

I love the suggestion of the whole 'nursing' booze as well. Plus if you can get to the bar tonic with bitters is literally almost exactly like a G&T and smells like one too. Non alcoholic beer in a glass is a good 'un as well.

Thank you for all the suggestions, I had thought of the fake drinking but I’ll be sat on the train so no where to hide/tip the drink away, it’ll look abit odd if I keep sipping but it’s the glass isn’t getting empty! That’ll work for when I’m at home for Christmas though, and I didn’t think to order a virgin drink either, just means I’ll have to goto the bar myself so others don’t order me an alcoholic drink, thank you! 😊

Let it be known a few days before that you've got raging toothache and can't be sure you'll make it. then turn up on metronidazole from the dentist. that's the one you really can't drink with.

Mocktails and tonic are my current drinks... I am (was) a keen social drinker up until a few weeks ago -i wonder why- so have had a few brushes with friends. Im drinking flavoured tonic and fresh lime/mint and also mocktails like pina colada (tastes the samd with or without alcohol!) and ginger ale mojitos. I find wine is the worst to fake! When i was out i ordered an alcoholic drink and then went up to the barman afterwards with the pretence of wanting to get water for the table and told him make it non-alcoholic and he totally got it. The xmas period doesn't make it easy tho! I have two black tie events this week and am going on holiday pre-xmas wth friends.. god knows how much longer I will keep the secret!!

For the girls weekend say you've got vertigo the week before - then "recover" enough to go away but stay off the booze as you still feel a bit dodgy. Flat or lower heels helps too (although I'm a sky scraper stilettos girl usually)

For the girls weekend say you have a cold/contagious infection which means that you don't want to share germs (bottles). Then get a couple of alcohol bottles dump them (or ask DP to drink them for you or put them inanother container for later), then fill them with a non alcoholic drink. You can drink as much as you want from your own stuff.

I has 'cystitis' for a party. Drank cranberry juice and soda all night.

Just remember to do the hourly trips to the loo.

Just tell them you have the shits and dont want to make it worse. Be open and grose and they won't ask any more questions

I'm a red wine drinker, which is pretty tricky to fake - but I managed to get away with a whole evening at a house party drinking blueberry juice from a wine glass and no-one spotted it (or perhaps they were tactful enough to keep quiet)!

I've done this on a train I emptied a bottle of white wine and poured shloer into the bottle no one knew 😃

I spent last weekend drinking a splash of apple juice topped with lemonade over ice in a larger wine glass. Looks identical to a white wine spritzer and no one had a clue. I think?!

Tell everyone you are on antibiotics for a tooth infection and that they are the type that react badly with alcohol. Problem solved.