To be worried to go out for dinner

[MissyJones80s]

Hello not sure if I am being anxious or not but planned to see some friends for a meal out at a restaurant and not been to concerned but closer it gets the more worried I feel. I realise they say pregnant ladies are at no more risk - although this is just based on evidence available - but how do we really know.
I don’t want to cancel and doubt I will but what do I do if we get there and it seems too busy or it doesn’t feel they are taking things too seriously.
I wouldn’t be like this if I wasn’t pregnant.

Just wondered what the general thoughts were on this from other pregnant ladies :)

Just had my DD a week ago. Restrictions lifted when I was about 35 weeks and I really made the most of it - went out for dinner 4 times between places reopening and my due date, went to the pub a few times on top of that. Personally I took the view that being militant about hand washing, sanitizer, social distancing etc was enough for me, and I’m really pleased I did make the most of those last few weeks as they made up for having to spend half my pregnancy trapped in the house! DH and I had some great plans for things we’d do before DD’s arrival and we never got to - obviously I wouldn’t swap her for anything but I’m glad I got to have just a little dose of normality (walking out the door with just my phone and my keys to head to the local for an hour) before life changed irreversibly. Cases in my area were and continue to be low, and as I say I was happy that the risks were really quite minimal compared to the benefits of getting out and about. I was far more concerned about driving tbh.

All the above said, I would never ever tell someone to go against their instincts. There is literally no point in you dragging yourself out to dinner if you’re going to be sat there worrying the whole time! Totally defeats the object of enjoying your time before the baby arrives and getting all the lovely oxytocin flowing ready for baby’s arrival. So basically I’d say that it was the right thing for me to do but all pregnant women have to make their own risk assessments and do what they’re comfortable with. Tbh after just a week of parenting and the conflicting advice I’ve had from loads of different sources, I think making judgment calls based on evidence and your own gut feel is probably quite important when parenting so it’s probably good practice!

If you won't feel comfortable going out for dinner then don't do it, it won't be enjoyable if you're worrying the whole time.

I'm in a local lockdown area and I'm asthmatic as well so I've been avoiding people since march but that's just what makes me feel comfortable and since I'm breathless anyway, I know if I got COVID it would likely be worse than if i didn't have asthma. It's a very personal decision of what is best for your mental health in the situation.

I'm 35 weeks pregnant; I haven't been out for dinner since February, & I won't until after my baby is safely here.

However I am being extra cautious because I had severe preeclampsia with my son and there's evidence showing that catching COVID can also affect the placenta.

I love going out to eat!

But if you aren’t comfortable, don’t go.

I’ve not been out since restrictions were lifted. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable & have seen enough people in shops not abiding by social distancing etc so that also puts me off. Think I’ll wait until after I’ve had baby.

There are also various mentions on The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists website that say women in their third trimester should be socially distancing as much as possible. So I’m sticking with those guidelines too!

I feel bad now. I'm 32 weeks and have been out loads (carefully)!

I'm 33 weeks and went out yesterday to a mall for the first time since lockdown.

There was a worry about premature birth so I acted as at risk (I'm a SAHM and have people who can go to supermarket instead of me). My reasoning is that from now, if the baby was born prematurely it would be at less risk, I think. I'm still very careful. Went to the mall only because DD is walking funny and needed new shoes (hopefully they'll help her).

If you do decide to go out, try maybe calling the restaurant and ask to be seated in a corner or something.

I’m going to pubs and restaurants. I need my social time though, and I love my food! Feel like I need to make the most of my freedom, for a few more weeks at least. Seen a few pregnant women about too.

38+5 and I've been out loads since restrictions were lifted. I took myself away from the news and found life returned to normal (bar the masks etc). Felt so much better for it!

I’m 29 weeks and I’ve been going out for dinner. I actually feel safer than such as the supermarket. In restaurants people have to pretty much stay sat down so you’ve not got people invading your personal space. I’d just ask my friend if I could pick my seat first (and choose the seat furthest away from strangers). But saying that, if you don’t feel safe, you won’t enjoy it so do what feels right for you :)

Me and DH went out for a meal with DHs family a few weeks ago when I was 21w and we had planned to do social distancing and brought hand gel with us, we even requested extra space at the table (so we could pull our seats a bit away from DHs family to maintain distance). We also looked at recent reviews on the website which all had positive things to say about how the restaurant was dealing with precautions etc. However despite all this I ended up having a really really stressed out day and then being really anxious for days after that we could have contracted CV. The only real precautions the restaurant had taken was making a one way system around the restaurant and limiting customers, however it still felt pretty busy, the staff didn't wear face masks or gloves. We weren't given extra room at our table (in fact we had asked for a high chair which they hadn't put at the table so then when we requested it we had to move our chairs closer together to fit it in!) it was a nightmare! Also the staff said they 'weren't allowed' to walk around the table to hand out cutlery or our plates of food which meant they put them at the top end of the table and then DHs family passed them down to us which meant they went through several pairs of hands before getting to us 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ honestly it was all a nightmare and I nearly cried at one point because it felt so out of our control and I felt really stressed out and convinced I was going to get CV! Thankfully it doesn't seem that we did contract anything but even just the stress of it meant I couldn't enjoy the meal and we have agreed we won't do anything like that again during my pregnancy. Sorry to be really negative! It's just if someone had told me it could have been like that I wouldn't have gone 😔xx

Thanks for all your replies. A real mix then. I think I’m going to go to try it and if I’m really uncomfortable just make my excuses and leave and explain. They sort of know I’m a bit health anxious anyway but at least I’ll be able to wish them well and say hello. Hopefully it’ll all be okay though we have a table quite late and it’s not on one of the eat to help out days (which seem mega busy everywhere) - I’ve let my OH know and he’s pretty good at making a call if I’m torn between what’s right or wrong for me :) will let you know how we get on eek

My rule is that I’m not eating in until the baby is out! I’ve been to a couple of restaurants and sat outdoors though. Requested the table away from others each time and felt fairly safe each time.