As told to Hillary Proctor

The Chicago writer Amy Tara Koch, author of the new book Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the Ultimate Style Statement (Ballantine; $18), out March 23rd, on five style essentials for pregnant women: “(1) a Lycra tank top—a really long one that you can wear with jeans; (2) a cozy—a kind of cardigan that’s longer in front and shorter in back; (3) Citizens of Humanity pregnancy jeans—they’re dark denim, they don’t have tons of holes in them, and they’ve got this stretchy band in the front; (4) tunic tops—when you’re pregnant, you want something breezy and flowy, and when you have a tunic, it creates verticality; and (5) an empire-waist black dress—the most important thing. It creates an illusion of a waist, and it gives you a really nice silhouette. It should be low-cut, just showing skin at the top.”