KUANTAN: Cravings are a natural part of pregnancy and at times can leave expectant mothers having some unusual 'wishes'.
While most pregnant women experience gastronomy cravings, there are those who long for non-food cravings and housewife Sharifah Nor Najwa Syed Othman, 25, appears to be one of them.
Oct 4 was a day to remember for Sharifah Nor Najwa, who is 35 weeks pregnant, as her desire to travel in a fire engine were fulfilled by firemen from the Taman Tas Fire and Rescue station here.
It was her husband Syed Amirul Rosyid Sy Mohd Sukri, 27, who made arrangements for the ride on the fire engine and kept it as a surprise until the duo reached the fire station about 10am.
The 27-year-old trainee lawyer said his wife had developed a wish to travel on the fire engine after watching the National Day parade here on Aug 31 where a fleet of the bright red fire engines participated at the event.
"She was about seven months pregnant with our first child when the both of us watched the parade here. Upon returning home, she began to flip through pictures of fire engines and read a lot about the fire department....about a week later, my wife informed me that she wanted to sit in a fire engine.
"I assumed it was a joke and was part of my wife's buang tabiat' (weird actions). I did not pay much attention until she began to sulk away and often ended up in tears when speaking about it.... I then realised she was serious about it.
"Since I was unsure whom to contact (at the fire department), I asked a friend who had a good laugh before assisting me to make the necessary arrangements at the Taman Tas fire station. I planned the visit to the fire station as a surprise for her," he said when contacted today.
Syed Amirul Rosyid said he was initially supposed to bring his wife to fulfil her 'unusual craving' at the fire station on Oct 3 but it was postponed to the following day as the firemen were involved in an operation.
"On Friday, I told her that I had to attend a meeting and wanted her to come along. When we reached the Taman Tas fire station, my wife was still clueless saying since my meeting is at the fire station, maybe she will have a chance to ride on the fire engine.
"When we walked toward the main building, Senior Fireman II Mohd Khairul Izhan Mohamed approached us asking if this is the person who wanted to ride on the fire engine. My wife turned to me in surprise and she started to shed tears.
"Before going onboard, Khairul Izhan handed my wife a firefighter jacket and helmet. Seated in the front passenger seat, my wife was taken on a 15-minute ride in the fire engine," he said.
Syed Amirul Rosyid said his wife later told him that not only she was extremely excited with their outing on the fire engine but their baby was also eagerly kicking in the womb after the ride.
Meanwhile, Sharifah Nor Najwa said she was deeply moved by the entire happenings including the surprise planned by her husband and her ride on the fire engine.
"I took a lot of pictures and videos. I will share the story about the ride which is certainly an important moment during my pregnancy with our soon-to-be-born child," she said, thanking her husband and the firemen for fulfilling her wishes.
Meanwhile, Khairul Izhan said over the years, the department received various groups of visitors including the elderly and disabled children but this was the first time they fulfilled the wishes of a pregnant woman to ride on a fire engine.
The Taman Tas fire station uploaded a video of Sharifah Nor Najwa's ride on their Facebook page which has since garnered over 8,500 views.