My favorite store is Naissance on Melrose (NOM), which supplied the clothes for Rachel's character on Friends. They design sexy low (below the belly) pants and jeans. I just couldn't have pants touch my stomach or my belly button, and the one black stretch criss-cross dress I bought there, I wore through my pregnancy (through last week) to all my fancy dress affairs, from cocktails parties to weddings! Two words: comfy and sexy.

Another thought was not to spend too much money on maternity wear, so I basically got five pairs of black stretch pants, one pair of jeans and some great, fun, '60s-style peasant blouses. My best advice: Hit up your new-mom friends. I got four of the most beautiful designer maternity jackets from a high-powered executive friend of mine and my sister-in-law, and those helped round out my wardrobe. (Oops, can’t forget my husband's 2XL T-shirts: Short on glamour, but so comfortable!)