Until about 20 years ago the clothes on offer in high-street maternity departments were pretty much limited to dungarees and pinafore dresses. It's as though the designers and fashion buyers thought, I know, these women like babies, therefore they can dress like one.
The only viable alternative to looking like a giant toddler was to walk around in your partner's oversized shirts and T-shirts worn over plain black leggings. Nothing wrong with that but it's not exactly the kind of get-up you'd want to wear to a swanky restaurant or a high-powered business meeting.
Then one day someone came up with the revolutionary concept of allowing pregnant women to dress like, well, non-pregnant women – only with special shaping to accommodate their bump.
From workwear to wedding outfits, cutting-edge fashion to kicking-back in comfort, there are now countless options on offer to suit every occasion and every style. The trouble is, as you're going to be this beautiful shape for nine months only, you don't want to blow thousands on a wardrobe you won't need in a year – or might need again but not for long.
To help guide you through the maternity-wear minefield, we have scoured the high street to find the 10 key pieces every pregnant woman needs in her wardrobe.
Let us know if you think we've missed anything.