Aside from that problem, though, the prenatal aquatics class was hugely satisfying. In fact, as I remarked to Eric later that night, "I've made a decision; I want to spend the rest of this pregnancy underwater." I was more comfortable than I've felt in ages. Other than the fact that I believe I was the most pregnant member of the class (some weren't even showing), I felt quite at home in that pool.

Getting out of the water, though...now, that was another matter altogether. Stepping out of the pool carried with it a harsh realization of the huge weight I've been toting with me for the past few months. I nearly collapsed to the floor.

"Aagh! Has it always been this heavy?" I gasped to the teacher.
"Yep. The water really lets you forget, doesn't it?"

That sensation of crushing heaviness has yet to disappear. I cannot wait for Monday's class, so that I can once more experience, if only temporarily, the comfort of not weighing as much as a small elephant. I think the Bit enjoyed the class as well; even though we'd been quite active and kicking most of the day, the moment I entered the pool, all activity stilled and remained calm for the rest of the evening.

Now, of course, we've returned to our regularly scheduled program of internal beatings. Old habits die hard.

Anyway, my newest panic button is the birth kit. Well, maybe "panic" isn't precisely the right word for it. The midwives want us to have our kit of supplies for the birth ready and in place by next Thursday night. I was only able to track down the list last night. Easily half of the items are things I don't expect to be able to walk into my local Rite Aid and purchase ("What do you mean, you don't have any cord clamps?"). I'm not calmed by the fact that I could safely give birth at home in less than two weeks' time, according to our midwives' standard procedures.

Here's what I'm to have on hand for the birth:

Sterile gloves 18 Underpads Plastic-backed paper sheets Squirt bottle Thermometer Perineal massage oil Sanitary belt - do they even make these anymore? 12 sanitary pads Surgical scrub brush

Elf cap - presumably a gift for the Magical Birth Elf Povidone-iodine solution 3 oz. bulb syringe 2 flexible straws Sterile gauze sponges Bottle of alcohol - for me or for Eric? Cord clamps Bottle of hydrogen peroxide

Now, I've found a place online where I can buy a kit with just about everything on the list. My question remains, though, whether or not they'll be able to get the kit to me by next week. I'll be calling them this afternoon; stay tuned for further details.

We're also in the middle of the decision about this. I think we'll be renting one later this afternoon; as Eric put it, "Even if the insurance doesn't cover it - and they should, since they've said that they will cover the rental of durable medical equipment - it's still a good idea." Until today, we were undecided over whether or not it would even fit into the apartment. Since we may very well be upstairs for most of the labor, though, and since I'm likely to gravitate toward wherever the most comfortable place is, anyway, we'll set up the tub in the baby's room, where we have a nice area of floor space with which to work.

Well, that's the plan for today. Order the birth kit, order the tub, and get some boxes unpacked. With a little luck, I may even have time to see if the local discount store has some old linens. I think I can, I think I can...

The heartbeat was strong, and the baby is definitely head-down, though there was some debate over whether the back was to my left (the preferable position) or to my right (more prone to posterior - face upwards - presentation). Most importantly to me, my blood pressure was golden. I am getting pretty frustrated with Barb and Joy's reluctance to purchase a large blood pressure cuff; with their smaller cuff, I get absurdly high readings, but with Mary Ann's large cuff, I'm always right where I should be. Being that blood pressure is one of the variables which needs to be tracked during labor, I would feel much more comfortable if they would just bite the bullet and buy the stinking cuff. After all, I can't be the only large woman that they'll ever assist.

Hey, if you look closely at that bottom picture, you might notice that my navel is very definitely protruding now. In fact, it now necessitates that at least two layers of clothing between it and the world. Eric finds it fascinating, and I have to continually remove his hand from it when we cuddle. Not that it hurts, mind you; it's just very, very sensitive.