Television personality, author and mother of two, Jaquie Brown, is the first to admit pregnancy isn’t always easy and cutting out the alcohol can feel alienating.
But, for her a happy and healthy baby made all the decaf coffees, soda waters and early nights worth it.
“It’s like when you’re building a house, you want to make sure the foundations are solid and strong. You don’t want to try and make a house with matchsticks then put a whole bunch of concrete on top, otherwise it will collapse,” says Brown.
Brown has a few tips for women planning to have a baby or in those early days of pregnancy to manage taking a break from alcohol.
1. It’s not about the size, it’s about the shape
“You don’t want to feel like you’re being left out if everybody else is drinking cocktails and you’re not.
“So one of the ways you can trick yourself into thinking you’ve got something really delicious is if you’ve got the same shaped glass as everybody else.
“Have a tall glass, a slice of lemon, put a little straw in it. Just make it look appealing so it doesn’t feel like you’re left out.”
2. Mocktails – all the fun without the alcohol
“If everyone’s got a mojito, make your drink look the same – have soda water and crushed ice and the lime and the mint, but you don’t have the alcohol that’s in it.”
3. Remember it’s only temporary
“It can seem like trying and pregnancy can stretch on for months and months, but it’s just a brief period in your life that you’re not going to drink, so try think about the benefits. Like, it’s a great way to save money, which you can use for something nice for yourself.
“Sometimes, when you’re trying for a baby and you’re trying to be good and you’re giving up everything but not getting pregnant, it can feel restrictive and a bit depressing. In those cases, just relax, treat yourself to something nice and start again next month because I think the emotional impact of depriving yourself of things can make you feel worse.”
4. If you’re still hiding, hold a full glass
“When I was trying or pregnant and at a social event I’d take a glass of wine and just hold it. But you don’t drink it, so no one thinks, ‘ooh, you’re not drinking’. It’s the perfect crime.
“You just hold the glass, and it’s no one’s business but yours.”
5. Always remember why
“I didn’t drink for three months before trying, the whole time I was trying, or while I was pregnant, which makes me sound like a total nerd, but I was researching for my book I’m not fat, I’m Pregnant. All the specialists recommended reducing your toxic load by cutting out excessive caffeine and alcohol because it can make it harder to conceive and alcohol can harm the baby. So I did what I was told!”
“There are so many unknowns when it comes to making this magical baby, I wanted to make sure that I was in top-notch healthy condition going into it and didn’t want to leave anything to chance because I was a bit older.”
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