What were/are your excuses for not drinking in early pregnancy?

[ClaireDeLoon]

Need some inspiration please! Bonus points for creativity

I don't think anyone believes the antibiotics thing as it's so well known now as a pregnancy excuse! I went through a phase of being really paranoid and sensitive about being thought pg (when we were TTC with no success), to the point where when I actually WAS on ABs a couple of times I deliberately did not say to anyone that I was in case they assumed I was pg!

No-one believes antibiotics because there is only one very specific class of antibiotics that has any interaction with alcohol, and unless you have a particular type of lung infection that's not what you'll be taking!

I had some "do not drink with these" antibiotics for a bad UTI and kidney infection once. I remember because it was summer and I was on holiday in France and I wound up on a range of medication that between them meant I wasn't allowed to drink alcohol or expose myself to sunlight (so a really fun holiday there, then...)

"I've stopped drinking for a while because we're trying for a baby."

Kidney infection or antibiotics!

My dilemma is that I meet a friend every week for a pub quiz. It's always just me and her - I always drink pints (she doesn't drink) and I live close to the pub so no need to drive.
I would tell her but she can be a bit indiscrete and she's a work colleague so I really don't want her to know. I suppose I could just not go for a while, but it's my one night of freedom away from DCs. I was thinking maybe arriving before her and having a bottle of kaliber in pint glass and drinking really slowly. I could do the antibiotic thing but not really for 8 weeks!
hmm. if anyone has any other tips that don't involve DHs (I used that last time) please let me nkow!

argh! know

Are you at all overweight? Or beginning to look expanded due to pregnancy?

If so you could get a mineral water or something to begin with and say to her when she arrives "I am trying to cut back on the beer so that I can look good in a bikini this summer" (or whatever phrase sounds natural coming from you) "so please talk me out of ordering a pint later if I start to weaken". Look up how many calories are in a pint and in various other things so you can sound as though that's what you're concerned about.

This won't work if you are willowy and slender, though.

Could you just drink tonic and tonic and come up with a reason that you're drinking "gin" or "vodka" instead of beer, rather than a reason you're not drinking at all? E.g. think you might have an intolerance to yeast so you're cutting out beer and switching to vodka for a couple of months to see if that helps?

Thanks for suggestions - it's a meet up in a bar then on to dinner type evening so not sure I'll be able to just pretend I am drinking, they'll notice they won't be topping my wine glass up I would think. DP won't be there to help me out.

I am still stuck with what to do really, I've had two mc and can't face telling people this early and hearing congrats and stuff when I'm feeling rather pessimistic then in a few weeks having to say 'oh it didn't work out again'

I wonder if I could get away with getting held up and meeting them at restaurant then only having half a glass of wine.

My partner was training for a marathon when I was pg and was eating healthily and not drinking so I said I'd given up the booze too, to support him. Managed to convince a lot of people with that one!

Just say it hurts to swallow so you're taking it easy for a few days to see if you can ward it off.

Or that you have to do some work when you get home and need clear head.

Or just say you don't fancy it.

I have had those antibiotics you can't drink on before twice - once for infection after tooth was removed and once for BV - an itch down there (not sti).

Keep lifting your wine glass to your lips (but not drinking) and they won't notice you're not topping up your glass, really. But getting held up and skipping the bar would probably make it easier.

Loads of other people have suggested it but just drinking a mixer and pretending it's got vodka/whatever in it really works. And don't forget the old standby if someone gives you that knowing look and asks if you're pregnant just come over all hurt and say 'God, I knew I'd put on weight but you didn't have to say it like that'... sniff. No one will ask again, even if they want to! They'll just have to stop being nosey and wait until you want to tell them xx

.......

.............I'm pregnant.

Thanks Lou - as I said a few posts ago I have had two mc, feel very pessimistic and don't really want to have to go back to everyone after the 8 week scan and say forget about it, it didn't work out again.

Right. Perhaps if that had been said in the OP it would have been helpful. Sorry about your mc. I hope sincerely that this pg is successful.

I don't see why people can't just not feel like drinking one night and say so and not be quizzed about it. It ought to be a point of etiquette that "I don't feel like alcohol today" from a woman of childbearing age is not a conversation starter.

You could now that summer's coming in claim that you've had a too much sun today and feel headachy.

I've also scarfed down glasses of iced sodawater with a piece lemon -- looks just like a clear spirit and tonic.

It's harder if your host is serving the drinks -- I've found claiming to be parched when I first arrive and asking for a glass of water works, because the host is often so busy that they'll expect you to serve yourself after that.

Spent New Years Eve at our house with friends. Made sure we always poured the drinks and I spent night drinking alcohol free beer and gin-less tonic. Got away with that one.

Wafting a glass of the real stuff around and getting hubby to drink from it every so often when no one looking (helps if you can drink the same thing and just keep swapping for the less full glass.) He gets p*ed this way though and you end up with night of being stone cold sober with snoring husband.

Friend actually has stage 2 kidney disease and told work colleagues about it as meant a change in diet, no alcohol etc. Couple of months later she gets pregnant and when she finally tells people at work about the pregnancy they said they knew already months ago (before she actually was pregnant or knew herself!) Turns out they all assumed that she'd made up a "story" about having kidney disease to cover up not drinking!!!!!!

I was lucky and my early pregnancy co-incided with lent, so I told people I'd given up.

I had a migraine pretty regularly for 3 months! Helped explain all the time off forDrs appointments etc. At home I drank non alcohol beer out if a glass and when I could manage it in the bar I'd go to the loo, order a non alc beer from the other end of the bar ( or ask DH to). Worked a treat! I even felt I had to explain the non alc beer thing when I announced I was pregnant so no one would think I'd been drinking (I was living in the US at the time where they're reaaally funny about it!)

urine infection - makes people not want to ask any more questions!

Handy that I'd actually had one the year before so set up the precedent!!

I do love a drink and we're ttc, so I know -if- when I eventually get pregnant, eyebrows will be raised when I refuse alcohol. So to prepare the ground, I've already started regularly driving to the pub/parties and have started spreading the word that I've given up drinking during the week (which is true anyway!). I've been very surprised to discover how much I enjoy being able to just zoom off home whenever I'm ready instead of hanging about waiting for a lift/cab. I must be getting old.

Not much use to the OP, I know, except that having the car is a cast iron excuse which no-one will challenge, particularly if you offer to chauffeur a few people home at the end of the night.

I had a surprise party when I was pregnant, DP planned it before we knew. I also went to a hen night. At both, I had a half full glass of wine and frequently made anymore wine down the end of the table type comments. I found that most people are more concerned with what they have in their glass and didn't notice. Its easier in big groups. In small groups, the 'I've got a corking hangover' line works best. Congratulations by the way!