I am happy to say that you all may finally put away/give away/burn your Juicy Couture maternity hoodies because I have discovered an equally priced, yet infinitely nicer substitute at Nuka Maternity. If there is justice in the world, pregnant women will no longer feel compelled to buy those brightly colored, slightly aggravating velour Juicy hoodies because they have no other options. Instead, they will all head straight to Nuka Maternity here and opt for the tasteful, supremely soft hoodies and T-shirts designed by mom Julia Noik, an LA-based graphic designer who set out to make pregnancy more comfortable with Nuka and has most definitely succeeded.
The absolute must-have in Julia’s Fall 2009 Collection? The V-Neck Hoodie, a supremely soft, cotton, short-sleeved hoodie with an empire waist and subtle ombre shading. The empire waist has cute button detailing through the front, but is reinforced with two pieces of elastic through the back, allowing for some serious stretching. This hoodie is so cozy and comfortable that I’ve been wearing it daily since it arrived this past weekend. I am not actually pregnant. But I think it is the ultimate compliment to a maternity designer when a non-pregnant women chooses to wear her clothing. I still haven’t decided if I am going to part with the V-Neck Hoodie and send it to my pregnant sister (sorry, Jane, I really like it). And Leighton’s diaper exploded while I was wearing it so I can also promise that the Nuka V-Neck Hoodie washes quite nicely and does not shrink.
You can buy a Nuka V-neck Hoodie for yourself here at Nuka’s website for USD $110-it comes in olive, chocolate and caviar black. I should warn you that Julia is not exaggerating when she called this the V-Neck Hoodie. This is a plunging V-neck, so on the days you don’t feel like you need to flaunt it, you should plan to wear a camisole or tank underneath (the zipper stops at the bottom of the V-neck, you can’t pull it up any higher if you suddenly have an attack of modesty).
Also, be sure to peruse Nuka’s entire collection while you are on the site. I also like the Nuka Peasant Top, which is made from a cotton/jersey blend and is a comfortable option for the first or early second trimester when you aren’t yet at the stage where you really need an empire waist. The lantern sleeves are a great touch and this looks really nice with jeans or even your most casual maternity sweatpants. It is available here in orchid for USD $70.
You must order at least one of Nuka’s pieces just to try it out for yourself. The cotton and jersey used to make Nuka’s maternity clothing is amazingly soft and is of the highest quality. You’re pregnant, after all, you deserve a few beautiful and comfortable articles of maternity clothing. Whether you are going out on the weekends or just hanging out at home, Nuka’s T-shirts and tops will be the maternity pieces you reach for every day…and probably at night too, they are just that comfortable.
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Pregnant Fashionista’s “Maternity Item of the Week” at TheBump.com this week is from one of my favorite new maternity designers, More of Me Maternity. I blogged 
I’ve been forced to consider putting him in a sleep sack very early and I recently turned back to Violet’s Peapod, my new favorite sleep sack designer. I received a Violet’s Peapod sleep sack as a gift for the twins this past Christmas and after using it a for a few weeks, I quickly purchased a second one. Lined in cotton and insulated with wool, these sleep sack are the perfect weight for year-round wear. They come in four different sizes and will fit a baby up to approximately 30 pounds and nearly three feet long. But the best features of Violet’s sleep sacks are the fun patterns. They are reversible and are solid on one side, but you won’t want to reverse them once you check out the unique, innovative patterns 
The unique patterns also make sleep sacks from Violet’s Peapod very unique baby gifts. Coincidentally, I just received an email announcing that Violet’s Peapod is having a 25% off Friends & Family sale for the rest of July. They are pricey sleep sacks at USD $53.95 each, so a 25% discount is quite helpful. Just enter code “FF2009″ when you check out. And if this is your first pregnancy and you can’t yet visualize life beyond swaddling, you will need one of these once your little bundle decides that being wrapped into a cocoon is simply no longer acceptable.
I have often used this blog to tell you about must-have maternity items that simply have to be purchased immediately to ensure they become part of your maternity wardrobe. Perhaps you took my advice, perhaps you didn’t. Perhaps you consider me an out-of-control, impulsive shopper, perhaps you don’t. Regardless, today is the day to put aside your personal opinions and finally heed my advice, because Nordstrom’s online maternity boutique currently has the Michael Stars Raw-Edge Long-Sleeved Maternity T-shirt available in white 
Yet another exclusive promotional discount for Pregnant Fashionista readers begins today, this time in collaboration with Scrunchbump, the creator of those amazing maternity tank tops I blogged about 
The Scrunchbump collection is comprised of three different styles–the tank, the cami, and the capped sleeve. The tops are made from this nice, thick nylon/spandex blend that really feels as if it is giving your bump extra support while also smoothing out all of those unsightly bumps and ripples. Best of all, the Scrunchbump tops are very, very long and I’ve been able to pull them down and use them as fitted slips underneath my maternity dresses. When I’m not wearing a dress, the shirts’ extra length provides much-needed assistance in keeping my under-the-bump pants in place. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you these shirts are serious multi-taskers. I would label them the ultimate maternity must-have. And they are machine washable and can be put in the dryer without incident, a huge plus for someone like myself who is wearing them 24 hours a day. I’ve been washing and drying them for three months now and still haven’t had any problems with them stretching out (sadly, that is not the case with my cotton layering tank tops).
Priscilla, the brilliant founder of Scrunchbump, is offering a 15% discount exclusively for Pregnant Fashionista readers from today through April 30. Click 
Congrats to my good friend Jessye, who gave birth to Jasper Lapenn over here in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon. Poor Jessye endured three days in an Israeli hospital as the doctors tried desperately to induce her, but she ultimately gave birth to Jasper via C-section. Jasper is obviously a trooper and Jessye clearly deserves a stiff drink mixed with her Tylenol/codeine after that ordeal. I haven’t been able to talk to Jessye at length yet, but I’ll be taking notes so I know exactly what not to do when my turn at the same Israeli hospital arises in a few weeks. 
Moving on to a crucial spring maternity staple, the basic maternity T-shirt. Michael Stars has released some vibrant, fun colors in its maternity line for Spring 2009 and the oh-so-very reliable and flattering Michael Stars Scoopneck Ruched Cap-Sleeve T-Shirt is now available in yellow, orange, lavender, amazon blue, turquoise, passion pink, as well as the basic black, coffee brown, and white. I’ve included a sampling of some of the colors here. 
Both Due Maternity and Bellydance Maternity are carrying varying selections of the new spring colors 
The Michael Stars T-shirts are $48 at both Due and Bellydance and are one size fits all. I have been wearing this T-shirt since the start of my pregnancy and at 33 weeks, it still covers everything that needs to be covered, so it’s a good investment.
I was thrilled to discover this past weekend that Shopbop is now carrying Paige Denim’s Blue Heights Skinny Maternity Jean in a dark blue rinse (previously, these jeans had only been available in black). I absolutely love these jeans. As I’ve blogged 
It is a sad point in a woman’s pregnancy when she reaches the size where her reliable under-the-bump pants are no longer so reliable. I, unfortunately, have reached that point and because I do not want to spend the next two months hiking up my pants up in public, I have had to turn to over-the-bump options in recent days. That means my beloved J Brand Maternity Pencil Jeans are taking a hiatus and I did what I hate to do, but relented and paid a visit to Pea in the Pod for a pair of their Secret Fit Belly jeans. I blogged about them during my last pregnancy and it is still the best option if you are in your third trimester and you want a pair of designer jeans that won’t end up around your mid-thighs my lunchtime. Composed of a nylon/spandex blend, the seamless material attaches to the top of your jeans and can be pulled all the way up to your bra line. The material is quite fitted and doesn’t stretch out, so no need to worry about the extra layer of fabric.
Pea in the Pod has attached the Secret Fit belly to a wide range of maternity items–see 
I feel as if I have devoted a bit too much time to writing about my undergarments in recent weeks, but I simply must tell you all about this new bra I have been trying out from, believe it or not, Spanx. Like most women, I don’t identify the Spanx brand with comfort. Effectiveness, yes, but comfort, no. Maybe one of their designers had finally had it with feeling like she was wearing a scuba suit all of the time and decided to design one of the most comfortable bras I have ever worn. The Spanx Bra-llelujah Bra has already been touted by Oprah, so I am not claiming any right of discovery here, but for a pregnant woman looking for a comfortable underwire bra, this is it. The bra is made of 91% nylon and 9% spandex and it feels just like a pair of pantyhose (and not control top pantyhose, just regular, old non-Spanx pantyhose). The straps don’t have any elastic, so they aren’t adjustable–the promotional materials claim they are “naturally-adjusting,” which I suppose could be a drawback for some people. But I think they are just fine and actually extremely comfortable. The bra clips in front and the cups are full coverage, so it is a nice bra for underneath T-shirts and fitted tops. The price is a bit difficult to swallow at USD $62.00, but I have searched for so long for a comfortable, pregnancy-friendly bra with underwire that I probably would have paid more. It is available in nude, mocha and black at numerous different online outlets including Bare Necessities 
Great news! I have finally found a maternity tank top that seems to solve the pregnant woman’s dual problem of needing a well-fitting, smoothing undergarment while simultaneously needing that undergarment to actually fit like a maternity top. I have wasted a good amount of time and money searching for the perfect top to wear underneath all of my maternity clothing and provide that crucial extra layer of camouflage. Unfortunately, it took me until the 25th week of my third pregnancy to find Scrunchbump tops. They are fabulous–and extremely reasonably priced. 
Created by a pregnant woman from Arizona who sews, Scrunchbump tops are made from 80% polyester and 20% spandex. They are very fitted and the material provides good support for your bump. They are also very long, so no worrying about unwanted exhibitionism when you are wearing under-the-bump pants or skirts. But the best feature is the Scrunchbump top’s ability to smooth everything out a bit–the material is nice and thick and works well to provide a bit more camouflage to those unwanted pregnancy bulges. To be blunt–these tops help out with the pregnancy back fat situation. I might even call them Spanx for pregnant women. And because it’s so long and grips really well at the bottom, you don’t have to worry about it riding up and adding yet another unsightly bulge to your silhouette.
Click 
