guaranteed to work (for the romantic souls, that is) ...

I subscribe to some of them free online newsletters which tracks your pregnancy stage - the likes of Baby Centre UK and Parenting Weekly. It's mostly informative useful information (as most of you would be familiar with, am sure). There are the occasional mails they send which end up being less informative on my part though - more like you're-kidding-right?? bits of 'information'. One such mail came in this morning.

According to Parenting Weekly, in this last trimester and no less, last few weeks to due date, they're suggesting us heavily pregnant women do the following, to rekindle the romantic spirit during the pregnancy:


1. Take a long, leisurely bath together. Enjoy a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling cider or sparkling water with juice.
There is NO possible way of that taking place here at the Big Lime abode - we've no bathtub and well, we've just never gotten too comfortable with the whole bathe-together concept. Some non-alcoholic sparkling juice doesn't sound too bad though.


2. Take turns giving each other slow, sensual massages. Try using oils scented with jasmine, rose, or musk.
Another miss here. The husband has never massaged me. In fact, the only time I recall him actually massaging my back (which is very much prone to bad aches no thanks to the countless of falls i've had over the years) was during our dating days back in UK. Ever since, any backache I have, I simply endure it on my own, and self-medicate it somehow.


3. Play soft music. Dance slowly by candlelight.
Hmmm ... I'll do the music bit. Dancing by candlelight (or even any great big flashing neon lights), I just wouldn't bother with.


4. Rent a romantic video and snuggle under a soft blanket.
A romantic movie I may watch. Snuggle under a soft blanket, I may do too. But we both tend to watch our DVDs on our own, rather than with each other - we're fussy and anti-social like that.


5. Feed each other. Try chocolates and fresh fruits.
How about just the raw definition of 'feeding each other'. He pays for the groceries, I cook up some meal using those paid-for (by him) groceries. Works too, right? Chocolates and fruits are often on the menu anyway. ;-)


6. Look through photos taken when you first met to remember how you felt when you first fell in love.
Photos when we first met? You mean all what, TEN (or less!) of them?? *LOL* If not for having our firstborn, we would probably still have those ten photos only. We aren't big on photo-taking, not till Big Z came along and then all focus was on him.
But to remember how we felt when we first fell in love? Well, it's a good thing my memory is pretty good, so we just talk about it really - minus them photos.


7. Return to the scene of your first date or re-create it as closely as possible.
Aaaww... would I? Can I?? Returning to the scene of our first date is what I think of practically everyday - but something tells me it's not just to reminisce on the date itself, but as a whole, the whole walking-down-memory-lane part of recalling my days as a student (both single and then with The Husband) in foreign land. We're talking about 'recreating' those days sometime end of the year ... but for now, it's all just talks. Only. Period.


8. Sit together in the moonlight and just hold hands.
How about just trying to sit together through a meal at home? That hardly takes place anymore. We each eat at different times, at times, even choosing to skip our meals. Which is why, weekends are crucial times to go out and have a nice decent meal together (well, with Big Z too of course).


So there you have it. 8 tips as suggested by the people over at Pregnancy Weekly.
For your typical lovey-dovey, touchy-feely, overly romantic and madly in love couples, I'd say the suggestions could well work and do great big wonders to their already-heavily-laden-with-love-gestures lives. For the clearly-non-romantics like us though, it simply highlights how distant we are, yet somehow that silence and freedom we have to do our own thing at our own time still bonds us together. Hard to believe, I know. But it seems to work. With a lot of hiccups too in between, mind you.

Having said that, during my pregnancy with Big Z, I was surprised myself as it was all-systems-go in the romantic department. I was my most sensual and romantic during those 40 weeks. This time though, I don't know... I'm happiest when I don't see him (The Husband). How bad is that?? But I've heard similar stories where the pregnant wife can't stand the sight and/or company of the husband. I hope it'll pass soon enough. And definitely by the time Baby Z is out of me.

Just a thought - as difficult as it gets for the pregnant wife, am sure husbands have a hard time adjusting to all sorts during the pregnancy period too. On that note, my apology to firstly, my husband (i'll now have to give him the link to my blog so he can read my apology .. heheh) and secondly to the rest of the expectant fathers community out there, in particular, those with super-uptight-and-moody wives. (see, i still DO care, you know?)