KEEPING PREGNANCY A SECRET AT CHRISTMAS
Congratulations! You’re pregnant. Have you told everyone? Lots of us choose to hold onto our pregnancy as a secret for a few months, often until the 12 week scan. There are pros and cons to doing this and there is no rule that you must wait until seeing the sonographer but if you choose to keep your pregnancy a secret, it can be especially hard around Christmas time. People might notice you’re not enjoying your usual tipple (or indulging in the cheese board!) in the same way so read on for my favourite non-alcoholic Christmas drinks.
But first, hi! I’m Rhi and I’m a fully qualified hypnobirthing teacher based in Leeds. I teach group hypnobirthing courses, private hypnobirthing courses and also offer pregnancy relaxation classes. I’m a mum of 2 and I’m also a primary school teacher. I’m really passionate about making birth better for as many women as I can through working with them and their birth partners to prepare for their births - calmly, conbfidently and with empowere
The advice around alcohol consumption in pregnancy in the UK is that ‘you should not drink alcohol. This will keep any risk to your baby to a minimum’ (NHS, 2024). I think most of us are quite familiar with that expectation. If you were interested in reading more about the exact research and data around this area, I highly recommend reading ‘Expecting Better’ by Emily Oster. But while we all know this is the expectation and most of us are happy to do it, it can be even harder at Christmas time when you’re keeping your pregnancy a secret because drinking is often a part of our celebrations.
This might be the first time you and your birth partner need to discuss your boundaries around this pregnancy. Do you want to keep it a secret this festive season or are you ready to share? If you’re trying to keep your pregnancy a secret, having a reason for your not drinking might feel like the right thing for you. ‘I’m driving’ or ‘I’m on antibiotics for an infection’ or ‘I’m having a break from drinking’ might work for you. Like everything with pregnancy and birth, it has to be the right decision for you so do spend some time thinking about this and discussing it with your birth partner so you’re both saying the same thing.
My due date for my first baby was Christmas Day so I’ve only been pregnant over one festive period and I couldn’t have hidden it even if I had wanted to! But it did give me a chance to enjoy and road test some alcohol free alternatives you might want to use if you’re keeping your pregnancy a secret this Christmas or even if you just want some alcohol free festive drinks.
So here goes, my top 3 alcohol free festive drinks!
Freixenet Rose Cava - I love a glass of fizz and this is my favourite alchohol free version. It’s really fizzy and retains a little of the dryness of prossecco or cava. It is, as usual, slightly sweeter than the alcoholic version but it’s a really good alternative. At the time of writing, it’s on offer at £4.50 a bottle at Morrison’s as well - winner!
Make festive ice cubes - Last year, I had a go at making some festive ice cubes. In large ice cube trays, I put a slither of orange, a sprig of rosemary and some cranberry juice. When they were frozen, they looked amazing and they turned any drink into a festive one! I enjoyed them with sparkling water but even my toddler enjoyed one in his normal juice. Some people liked them in prossecco/champagne as well so I’m sure they’d taste great in an alcohol free fizz too. They’re really fun and make any drink feel like a cocktail.
Alcohol free mulled wine - there are lots of great bottled versions available to buy and you can even mix up your own. This recipe looks brilliant! The best thing about this one is that nobody would know the difference once it’s in your mug so if you are trying to keep your pregnancy a secret this Christmas, it’s a great one!
My homemade festive ice cubes in a glass of non alcoholic fizz last year.
I hope you all have a brilliant time celebrating with your friends and family this Christmas and that these ideas have been helpful. When you’re ready to start thinking about your birth, get in touch and I’ll look forward to supporting you with it. Curious about hypnobirthing? Why not watch my prerecorded masterclass ‘Reducing Fear in Birth’? Get FREE access here.
Yours,
Rhi x
