Missing out on all the Christmas desserts?

[Needingahandhold76]

So I realise this is very much a first world problem or I am being unreasonably over cautious as this is my first pregnancy, but all the Christmas desserts this year are boozy!

Myself and DP are going to PIL for Christmas tomorrow. When we visited last week we got told all the marvellous things on the menu. MIL has went to incredible lengths with planning this Christmas meal and under usual circumstances I would be very exciting to indulge in a bit of everything.

But I am so upset, because I am 8 weeks pregnant. PIL do not yet know, DP wishes to tell them tomorrow on Christmas Day. I’m already nervous about the food, because I am feeling very nauseous and have very little appetite (except for all the sweet stuff!). The desserts all sound delicious- lemon posset (made with limoncello), trifle (with a generous glug of Sherry), homemade chocolate truffles (with lots of brandy) and baileys cheesecake. By the time they know tomorrow the desserts will have all been made so there’s no chance of asking one to be alcohol free. I’m sure the alcohol content will be so minimal that there is no risk to the baby, but my DP is a bit of a worry wart and doesn’t want to take any sort of risk- I’ve been enjoying not having to do some things he declares “risky” (hoovering, making the bed, carrying any sort of heavy item- shopping bags, laundry hamper etc).

This will be my first Christmas without any booze, I wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to stuff my face with all the lemon possets would I? Or should I just be content with nibbling a Thornton’s chocolate over my cuppa tea?

Honestly? The amount of alcohol in each household desert is so minimal I really wouldn't worry!

I’d eat it and it wouldn’t even cost me a thought. The amount will be so minimal.

I wouldn't be telling anyone I was pregnant on Christmas Day.
Offer to take a pudding?

Congratulations!
Take an alcohol free dessert with you?
Lemon posset will have raw eggs in so unless you are sure they are lion mark then that's out anyway. Go for the trifle or Christmas pud if your DH won't cluck too much. It's sweet he's being so solicitous of you but if he keeps this level up for the next 7 months you'll go bonkers!

Don't be silly. A teaspoon of sherry or brandy or limoncello or all three is harmless.

Your being ridiculous ! Of course you can eat the dessert !

Pop out to the co-op today and get a yule log/pavlova/whatever to take with you. Job done. No need for any angst.

The amounts are so minimal, I'd be having pudding and a glass of wine. Really no problem.

Just eat them.

Or if DH is going to have a problem he can tell PIL early so the booze can be left out of one. Or he can go buy something alcohol free for you.

Just take something with you and leave in the car till you've announced.

Honestly. Eat the puddings. It’s going to be a long 9 months if you get worked up about stuff like that. I’d be having a glass of fizz too but I appreciate many folk wouldn’t.

I’m very much letting DP do the wrapping up in cotton wool at the moment as I’m so exhausted all the time. Hopefully after first trimester I have some energy and I feel able to do things again.

No possibility of bringing a dessert, MIL was aghast at the suggestion when DP offered to take something along as he wanted something chocolatey for dessert. She then went to the effort of making brandy truffles for him, when we were more than happy to just bring something and save her the effort.

I do realise that it is risky telling people at this stage, and on Christmas Day. DP wants it to be special for his mum as she’s had a very tough year with losing her own mum. We’ve held off telling her until now so he can give her this surprise. Otherwise I would have been happy telling her last week after we had our viability scan. If anything goes wrong after this point, we would still want her to know as she would be a great support.

A large rain for not drinking alcohol is to stop fetal alcohol poisoning or fetal alcohol dependancy. Your baby won't get these from eating dessert with a couple of tablespoons of alcohol.

Reason*

And thank you all. I realise that I was thinking too much into things, but I’ve not done this before so it’s all brand new.

With how I have been feeling, it’ll be very likely I won’t be able to stomach anything and I’ll end up only nibbling on nuts and sipping water.

Life is too short for all this shit. Have the desserts, they'll do you no harm. The eggs will be fine too. Nine months is a long time to have to do all this clucking and worrying, you'll get very tired of it so I'd give it the push now.

There wasn't all this worrying years ago. We all had the odd drink, ate what we liked,there was no food off the menu. The world has gone mad, my mums generation was told to drink Guinness to keep their strength up. Go to France, I bet they don't give up wine and soft cheese.

Lemon posset isn't usually made with eggs. So you should be fine with that even if it contains a miniscule amount of limoncello.

I suspect if you have been quizzing your MIL about the contents of the desserts then she has already guessed your news.

Congratulations

Take a box of after eights and just say you are too full for a proper dessert.

Of course you can eat the desserts. You can buy these in the shops without age restrictions. Read the Christmas cake thread on pregnancy board - all the same advice applies.

The amount of alcohol is tiny but completely understandable that you’d rather not.
Also we told close family at around 8 weeks as they were the people we’d want support from if things went wrong. It’s your pregnancy; you can tell people when you want to.
I’d bring a Yule log or something but you may not fancy much anyway

I'd eat supermarket desserts because the alcohol content is negligible, but wouldn't eat homemade desserts because I know how much alcohol gets put into them! In many cases a home cook adds the alcohol after cooking so none of it gets cooked off.

Personally I'd have just told PIL that you're pregnant and would prefer alcohol free desserts - imagine how awful they'll feel when they find out that you can't eat anything after they've spent their time making it!

Thankfully there’s going to be 14 of us so there shouldn’t be any wastage if I go without.
Potentially MIL will feel a bit put out for having went to all the effort that she has gone to but DP has it all planned out how he wants to tell his parents. He’s so excited, I’m just letting him go with it.

I know your dh is excited but it is too excited to tell. Maybe just his parents but a load of extended family?? Absolutely ridiculous. You haven’t had the 13 week viability scan. What if the scan uncovers downs, Edwards, etc. What if the pregnancy is ectopic?

too early to tell*