I’ll get back to this thread, but for the mean time, a huge hug and congratulations! I might need to start a maternity wear blog !

Congratulations, Christine!
IMO volume works well on early stages when the bump is not defined, but after that it's better to accentuate it. It's actually how I got into the t-shirt mode - I wore them a lot during pregnancy (the body-hugging kind). I wasn't too stylish during my pregnancy, I am afraid, but I am sure you'll get a lot of good advice here!

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

I have two children under two so was pregnant for some of 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. YIKES!

With my first pregnancy i found that I carried alot of weight around my thighs and bottom and skinny jeans where not an option. I therefore wore alot of boot cut pants to blance the hips and form fitting tops.

However with my second pregnancy I was more fortunate and did not gain alot of weight. I wore a black chiffon trapeze top alot in the later stages of pregnancy but balanced the volume with black skinny jeans. I also invested in a two metre pieces of ribbon which I would use to reign in the volume and create an empire line. This is a trick I still use to today.

With both pregnancies I decided to spend time looking for accesories that made me feel fab. I found silk effect scarves worn loose and necklaces perfect for breaking up the line and you can still use them afterwards.

Anyway heres to a healthy and happy pregnacy.

Congrats!! I started posting a year ago her and then disappeared for 10 months and am back now trying to work out my maternity wardrobe as well. I am 19 weeks now and definitely showing. I am still fitting into my pants because I seem to be carrying very high, but I can't button them any longer. I use the old hair band trick to give me a few extra inches of stretchiness in the waist. I am trying to make sure I love lots of long tanks to use for layering and covering the ugly maternity panels in my pants. I really like the banded bottom tops that are all over the stores right now. Give you plenty of room for the bump but don't look like a tent since they hug your hips. Have you seen e.'s photos over on academichic.com? She is a HUGE sourse of inspiration for me so check it out if you haven't seen it.
http://www.academichic.com/category/preggers/
congrats!!

I can't wait to read all the tips/feedback on this thread...as I am in the exact same boat.

Wow, we've got quite a pregnant YLF contingent going. I'm also pregnant and this is a previous thread that I started.

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....replies=15

Like Marianne said, volume worked well for me before the bump was visible. Plus it's comfortable. Since then I've been mostly acquiring my maternity capsule from Isabella Oliver (www.isabellaoliver.com)-- mostly tops and dresses. Their summer sale is going on right now and I haven't paid full price yet for anything because they often have coupons. Except for changing sizes, bottoms are easy because I've just had regular items altered to have a panel and have stuck with the same silhouettes. At 20 weeks, I am just getting to the point where regular tops are not quite long enough but I figure if I can find 5 or so tops I really love I will just wear them every week and add regular cardis or jackets as possible/necessary. Of course, I'm not limited on shoes or bags and have lots of fun there.

PS Angie, I hope you do start a maternity blog. ;) I have been following http://www.pregnantfashionista.com for shopping ideas, but she doesn't post everyday and a lot of her suggestions are pricey. On the flip side she alerts the coupons and sources for good stuff.

I think it's adorable to highlight the baby bump. I also think it's good to make it obvious that you're pregnant, so you don't have people pretending they don't notice a bump because they're afraid to ask the question!

I do want to say that 3 years ago when I was pregnant, Motherhood Maternity and Pea In a Pod and other such stores had very restrictive return policies ... like you can only return clothes in 7 days and then you only get store credit. They may have changed policy since then, so make sure you do know the return policy before you pay. After they get your money, *then* they tell you about the return policy before you walk out of the store.

The stores I had the most favorable experience with are Target, Kohl's, & Old Navy ... their maternity return policy is the same as other store items.

Thank you so much for the congrats & the suggestions. I hadn't seen your earlier thread, Patience, or the pregnant fashionista blog - thank you for passing them along.

I LOVE Isabella Oliver's line, and if I could afford it, I would buy my whole wardrobe there. For now, though, I'm going to have to pick and choose the pieces that I want/need the most and that I think will be the most versatile.

Congratulations! I don't have any suggestions (never been pregnant, probably never will) but I'm still sorting out my new mom wardrobe so I know that every stage has its challenges. Have fun and enjoy your pregnancy.