Maternity Fashion: Looking Fine All Nine Months

If you like to look fashionable, and you've just found out you're pregnant, you may have some mixed emotions. On the one hand, you may be overjoyed about the prospect of having baby—on the other hand, you can't bear to blow up into a blimp that can't fit into anything more fashionable than a Hefty lawn and leaf-sized trash bag.

Relax, and stop worrying. Pregnant women can look every bit as good as any slinky sweet young thing. Fashion is all about accentuating the positive and downplaying the less than perfect. It's no different in pregnancy; it's just that you're accentuating different aspects than you did in your non-pregnant state. So, forget about spending nine months hiding in a baggy pair of sweatpants. You can do better than that. Read on for our tips and tricks.

Feel Good

The key to looking your best during pregnancy is to come to terms with the ongoing changes in your body. If you feel good about what is happening to you, this will be reflected in your glowing complexion and contented smile. The big secret to looking attractive is feeling great.

Most women don't begin to show until the beginning of the second trimester. That means that for the most part, you can get away with wearing your regular clothes. If things begin to feel a bit snug, you can wear long loose tops over jeans. Take a rubber band and loop it around the button and through the top button hole of your pants to get a tad more room for your swelling belly.

By your fourth or fifth month, you'll need to lay in a supply of maternity clothes. Be a savvy shopper and buy a 4-piece maternity set of basic items of clothing. Here are items you'll want to own:

Go Neutral

*A slim skirt with a stretch tummy panel

* Maternity stretch pants—buy these in a neutral tone so they can go with anything, anywhere.

*Blousy top with 3/4 sleeves

*One dress

Optional Items

Other optional maternity clothing items include:

*Long, roomy knee-length sweater

*One or two maternity t-shirts

*Button down maternity blouses—if you're a business woman, these go a long way toward giving you that professional image

*Undergarments-While most women find their regular bikini underpants work just fine during pregnancy, some may find it necessary to buy a larger-sized maternity bra during the second trimester.

*Tank tops-The hormones of pregnancy can affect your internal thermostat making you hot in the dead of winter. Some women swear by tank tops as their personal pregnancy savior.

Savvy Manufacturers

*Blue jeans-Manufacturers are savvy to pregnant women and have created jeans that work for the early stage of pregnancy. These ride up to just under the belly. Jeans for the 2nd and 3rd trimesters come equipped with stretch panels.

If you can afford to splurge on only a few items of clothing, don't despair—some choice accessories can give you many different looks for the same few tops and bottoms. It's also a good idea to ask friends who've just had babies if you can borrow some items of maternity clothes. Just make sure you're generous in turn to some other nice pregnant lady, after you give birth.