Maternity

After you give birth, your body has so many lumps and bumps that it looks like two weasels fighting under a blanket. Even during pregnancy, you could probably use a bit of garment assistance for maintaining a smooth line under clothing, not to mention help holding up that big belly full of baby. These lingerie helpers have been road-tested by moms, and each one comes highly recommended.

The Assets by Sara Blakeley Marvelous Mama line of undies, tights, and leggings has everything you’re looking for in a shaper: it stays up without pinching with its wide, non-roll waistband. And it provides comfy support for mamas, particularly the Unbelievable Underwear, which has a special panel that provides belly uplift. Comes in nude and black, $20

Speaking of that belly, after passing out that big baby, it may be more saggy than you feel comfortable with. Get a grip on everything with Amon Maternity Forgive Body Shaper, postpartum panties that are soft, stretchy, and cozy, with a discreet panel for under-the-bellybutton shaping. Lots of panties have all these things, but they tend to be Granny panties. The Forgive panties, not so much. Comes in nude and black, $22.50

Finally, even moms who want to breastfeed and have no compunction about feeding in public are often embarrassed by the flabby midsection they expose when pulling up their top to nurse. Japanese Weekend Nursing Body Shaper Top will be the top you pull out of the drawer over and over again to combat this problem. The wide straps give your enlarged boobies better shoulder support, while the lycra material provides gentle squishing action to the belly. Comes in black and nude, $66

Red is the new black this recession. Not candy apple, ruby rose or watermelon. Just plain red, as in “in the red.” But the white-hot online retailer Gilt Groupe wouldn’t know much about that. With its virtual sample sales of Christian Louboutin, Derek Lam and other high-end labels (up to 70% off retail), the company’s site has become the must-visit destination for established and budding fashionistas alike. Now Gilt is bumping it up with its first maternity sale.

Gilt Children’s is hosting a Great Expectations Sale with Belly Dance Maternity on April 27th. Mark your calendar. Program your iPhone/iPad/BlackBerry. The sale will include items from NOM, Michael Stars, Noppies and Serfontaine. Jennifer Strom Simonte, the president of Belly Dance, will be a guest curator for the sale. She’ll blog on gilt.com about the “Five Essential Tips to Dress Your Bump in Style” in the days leading up to the 27th.

Gilt, founded in 2007, now has 2 million members. Membership is by invitation. Consider this link yours: www.gilt.com/urbanbaby. Qualifying Gilt members will also receive 15% off their next purchase at bellydancematernity.com within seven days of shopping Gilt’s Great Expectations sale. The sale begins at noon EST next Tuesday, 4/27. As Giltophiles know, it lasts only 36 hours.

Get gilt-ridden.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching and a rare night out with your DH, your maternity wardrobe requires an emergency infusion of hip, sexy pieces. After all, your pregnancy basics have been in heavy rotation and could use a break.

Time to pull in the big Gunn (as in Tim) or, rather, his Project Runway co-star, supermodel Heidi Klum. After almost seven seasons of Project Runway, years of red carpet action and miles of catwalk trekking for Victoria’s Secret, Klum knows fashion. And after having four kids, she knows maternity fashion. Next week, on February 12th, Klum launches two lines - Lavish and Loved. The first is for A Pea in the Pod and the second for Motherhood Maternity, both part of the same company. The two collections are heavy on the always-versatile black and gray, while Loved punches it up a notch on the color spectrum with some pops of cobalt blue. The LBD from Lavish (pictured upper right) is what you’d call a statement piece and is not likely to give you (or your DH!) maternity-wear fatigue as your pregnancy progresses. Klum notes that she experienced some fashion challenges during pregnancy and wanted to design maternity clothes that were practical and comfortable as well as stylish.

So on 2/14, be lavished and be loved … before the bambino arrives on the scene.

Available 2/12 in stores and online at apeainthepod.com and motherhood.com.

Once you get pregnant it’s like you’re a ticking time bomb, counting down the moments until you’re going to be in a heinous pair of maternity pants. Oh sure, you can hold on for a while, looping your waistband together with rubber bands, or wearing some type of big cloth belt to keep them up as they bag beneath your swelling protuberance. But sooner or later, you’ll be forced to buy a big, baggy pair of paneled pants. Unless you send your favorite pair to Denim Therapy. This innovative company specializes in denim restoration: patching up holes in the knee, butt, or crotch. But it has a sideline in turning regular jeans into maternity pants, and then back again.

For $60, Denim Therapy inserts comfy, stretchable panels into the seams of your regular jeans. While you swell, they swell with you in the belly area, while giving you the same fit down to the ankles. When you’ve had the baby and deflated back to your normal size, you send them back to Denim Therapy and the panels are removed. There! Wasn’t that an adventure for both of you?

For more information, visit denim-therapy.com.

You tweet, blog and post on Facebook (plus UB!) every detail of your life that you feel like sharing - your shrinking DI, your overbearing MIL, your fascination with Bravo’s Real Housewives franchises. Yet when it comes to strangers touching your pregnant stomach, asking how much weight you’ve gained plus other probing questions, you’re not too keen on being public property. You may be able to stop the madness with a piece of jewelry.

Go Belly Go is a necklace which pre-empts the “When is your due date” question by giving the answer. Well, part of it. The polished zinc pendant reads “Due in February” (pick your month). Oregon jewelry designer Hannah Westwood has been crafting bling since she was eight. She has the pendants custom made in Peru and gets the silver chains from Arizona. Each Go Belly Go (GBG) necklace is creatively packaged in a keepsake tin.Westwood says, “Every [GBG] that goes out is celebrating a belly, and there really isn’t anything more special than that.” You can have the baby’s name and actual birthdate engraved once Junior makes his debut. Until then, maybe this little piece of metal will minimize meddling by the masses.

At the very least, it’ll complement your push present quite nicely.

Available at gobellygo.com.

You’ve cut out brie, sushi and your monthly highlights all in the name of a healthy pregnancy. Oh, the sacrifices. Yet, you still feel the need to clean up your act.New company Nine Naturals introduces Oh Baby! shampoo and conditioner, products specifically designed for pregnant women. NN nixes phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals typically found in shampoos. (The jury is still out, but phthalates have been linked to low birth weight, shorter gestational periods and even reproductive birth defects.) Oh Baby! is pared down to just nine ingredients (think peppermint and rosemary oils) from the typical 25. Natural moisturizers revive dry pregnancy and postpartum hair.

Soap’s on.

Available at ninenaturals.com

Baby fever has made you axe any name you’ve ever heard, even if it’s the child of your cousin’s neighbor’s nanny’s nephew.

Beyond Ava & Aiden: The Enlightened Guide to Naming Your Baby will help you navigate the world of baby naming. With humor and a refreshing take on the trends, the book is organized by style, image, sex and tradition. Plus you’ll have a few laughs reading lists like Millennial Names (Maverick, Riley) or Music and Dance (Etta, Gershwin). The authors, experts Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, will not lead you astray.

Better yet, maybe they can name the kid for you.

Available at amazon.com.

Now that you’re pregnant you know what you should not eat — but what are the best foods for the next 9 months?

Feed the Belly by new mom and nutrition expert Frances Largeman-Roth features nearly 70 easy-to-make recipes smartly categorized by craving (salty, sweet, spicy). This healthy eating guide for pregnant women shares easy-to-follow tips, like what should and should not be on your shopping list, how to choose the healthiest fish and what to eat to boost fertility. Kick off your new and improved diet with the book’s simple seven-day eating plan that will boost your bump and your pre-baby bod.

Available at amazon.com.

Lately it’s all about truth in parenting, but the only place you feel truly honest is on the UB message boards.

Read a relatable dose of reality. Afterbirth: Stories You Won’t Read in a Parenting Magazine is a collection of essays based on Dani Klein Modisett’s popular live show of the same name. Hollywood types, from Sex and the City writer Cindy Chupack to Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, contribute personal takes on parenting. First family vacations, fertility, fear and father-daughter bonding are just a few of the topics tackled in this collection of personal stories.

Available at stmartins.com.

You’re celebrating Mother’s Day for the first time — make that Mother-To-Be Day. And you refuse to spend your special Sunday in sweatpants.

Put the pregnancy-induced moods aside for one afternoon and get all dolled up. Try a fun frock from Fierce Mamas for Moody Mamas by Christian Siriano. The Project Runway winner has done maternity dresses, like this silk charmeuse frock, perfect for mocktails and dinner.

And tell him a jacket is required.

Available at moodymamas.com.