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Hi
I really dont want to tell my workmates until 12/13 weeks -the problem is we go out for lunch and drink all the time. Any suggestions (i.e. good excuses .. ok lies) for how to explain the reason why you are not drinking/ why i can't eat a salad/pre-prepared sandwich? Any suggestions how to keep the fatigue/nausea from your workmates?
thanks
Honesty is the best policy?
Barring that, maybe you're suddenly into being healthy/detoxing your system?
OK I'll say first off I'm not so good at this....I was sick as a dog from six weeks with both my kids. The first time I caved and had to tell my boss at 7 weeks, the second time I told her at 12 weeks but she already guessed because of the way I was the first time :lol:
A few suggestions though - stomach virus, on antibiotics/medication that you can't mix with alcohol, got a headache, got important work to do in the afternoon, got to drive, none of the food looks nice....there that should buy you a couple of weeks ;)
Tell them you are going through allergy tests and you can't have dairy or alcohol. Then biatch about how inconvenient it is.......
The detox idea is a good one... you can always say that you're doing your own version, if anyone asks for specifics.
Offer to order the drinks and get yourself "a bacardi breezer" that is all breezer and no bacardi (ie a fruit juice).
"Nurse" your wine... nurse it slowly into the pot plant (a few sips of alcohol is OK, but a huge glass a day isn't a great idea).
Order something hot to eat, like a baked potato with beans. Freshly prepared sandwiches are OK, just watch the fillings.
Don't mention anything about your health as it's invariable you feel queasy or you're tired (everyone was unsurprised when I announced my pregnancy!). Or say you were out with your DH last night for his brother's birthday to explain these symptoms. Yes, he does have many brothers, it is a big family. Oddly enough, all born around the same time. OK, vary the excuse!
Hey Pindle
I am 11 weeks and still havn't told anyone at work or most of my friends, lucky for me I have had no morning sickness which has made it easier.
But I have a raft of excuses :) or tricks :lol:
I always order my drinks, but I get things like Half Cranberry Juice/Half Lemonade and if people ask you can say it is a vodka and cranberry, same with vodka lemon lime hold the Vodka.
If you have a function at home or at a friends place, take a bottle of Maison or other Non alcoholic wine (you can always take the label off and say it's a cleanskin) or just pour your own drinks, there are rose's etc as well. If it is a darker place I got away with drinking Coke out of a red wine glass - that was hilarious as a friend asked about 2 hours later what I was drinking and I said coke - he was trying to get out of drinking more (one of our friends was pushing him to drink more) he couldn't tell so went and got himself one!!
I also used excuses of
- I had a migraine yesterday and am not drinking as it will bring on another
- I am on antibiotics (you can spread this out as a double dose (will cover you for a couple of weeks)
- you are driving and just don't take the risk at all with drinking (that got me through DH christmas party)
- I go to the gym and have a personal trainer and I quit alcohol - which is true I cut back and then quit months before we started to TTC - which also gave me an excuse to be very careful about what I eat
- One of my good friends is sooo impressed with how I have been not drinking and my diet is strict - she is proud - poor sweet, when I tell her next weekend!!!
- Also saying you have to get up really early in the morning and even a couple gives you a headache and you have to be on the ball first thing.
So I have made it through Christmas parties, News Years Eve (with a bunch of friends on a week holiday) and brithdays etc, and all while UTD, so it can be done, make it into something fun, and see when you do decide to tell how many people picked up on how sneaky you were for months!!!
Goodluck and wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy with a lot of fun!!
Enjoy
Cheers
Victoria
wow u have got so far with out telling people. i coudlnt even wait till i went tot he doc hahahaha.
I was terribly sick woth m/s till about 12 weeks. I think I managed to hide it from most of my colleagues for that time. I did have to go out for a few work lunches, you know the type where you take a client out to suck up to them? lol. And some farewell party and others. Anyway, I told my buss at about 12 weeks, and then over the following few weeks I told a couple other colleagues. My boss also blurted it out to half of them in a meeting one day. Most knew by about 17 weeks and I think they all know by about 21 weeks.
I remember saying 'oh I drove to work today so I dont want to drink as I have to drive back home' This worked quite nicely. I actually never ever drove to work, but alot of my colleagues drove to work so it was totally normal to them.
Or, "I am going out tonight and alcohol makes me drowsy"...
"I have a bit of a headache/feeling a little dehydrated and I dont want to make it worse"
Alot of the time I just plain said "no thanks" and that worked. If I said it firmly enough they'd leave me alone about the issue pretty quickly. There was this one woman who wouldnt let the issue go "why not, come on, just have some, why wont you drink, whats wrong with you" and she went on and on, but she is the type to go out for lunch and spend 3 hours at a pub and come bck to the office trashed.
pmsl about nursing the wine into the pot plant. Too funny :)
To be honest, I didnt worry to much about the food I ate. I still ate pre-prepared salads if they looked fresh. If they looked dodgy, then I'd stay away from them.
Ditto all the above. If you're in a real drinking environment my best excuse was "I've got the worst hangover and I just can't face alcohol at the moment." So then they think you're still drinking just not today and you won't cop flack for not being part of the crowd.
I went on a work trip where we were the trainers when I was about 12 weeks preggers, I was tired, exhausted and needing to pee every service station! We were at the pub doing shots (well I wasn't) and they were pressuring me - all I said was last time I did shots with the students I couldn't remember what happened! (that got me out of it)
If anyone asks about the peeing, tell 'em you have a UTI and the doc has restricted your diet to investigate (it also covers no coffee, lots of water, no alcohol)
congrats and good luck!
(btw, I told my boss @ 18weeks and he had no idea - his wife is a midwife and he's usually pretty cluey about this stuff!)
thanks for all the advice - i will be relieved when it is out in the open!
I couldn't hide the fact as I have had really bad m/s.. My boss knew at 8 weeks and would have known sooner except I was on holidays for 3 weeks!!
I really wish I would have thought of the "hangover" excuse though as that covers not drinking AND being a little under the weather!!
My boss was actually the first person I told. Sorry but I think honesty is the best policy, my work collegues are the ones to cover the shifts I take off work when I have to go to the Dr or if I have a really bad day, but then I work in a very small team.
I told my boss at about 7 weeks as I had to take off 7 days over a two week period for bed rest at doctors orders. I felt it was best to let him know what the situation was, in case I had to take any more time off. He was very understanding and didn't tell anyone at all which was great. I told one other close workmate at the same time (she guessed really), but didn't tell anyone else til the 12 week scan. Some workmates still don't know and I'm 17 weeks now. I already had extra weight on me so didn't wear tight clothes and they are coming in very handy now that my belly is expanding.
With friends and family I avoided alcohol by just saying I was driving or didn't feel like it. It worked for most people but some did catch on before I told them.