Style expert, trend reporter and fashion writer Amy Tara Koch.

Are you struggling with saying goodbye to your wardrobe? Afraid of maternity wear? Does your pregnant body make you feel unattractive? If so, you’re not alone. And it may help to know that even style and fashion mavens have found themselves flummoxed by pregnancy and muddled by maternity wear. Amy Tara Koch, author of Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy Into the Ultimate Style Statement, had such an experience and puts forth in her pregnancy style guide some solutions, tips and good old-fashioned girlfriend humor to help you cope.

I’ve virtually “met” Amy on Twitter where I’ve enjoyed reading her pregnancy fashion tweets. Her book (not to mention her cute website) is a fun resource to help you look and feel your best during pregnancy and motherhood–right in line with our mission statement and why I reached out and invited Amy to share a guest post on Materni-Talk. Graciously, she accepted. Here are Amy’s tips for putting some “wow” into your maternity wear.

BLING IT ON by Amy Tara Koch

Baubles are the easiest way to make basic maternity wear pop:

• Eclectic accents–think a bunch of Indian bangles, a chain belt, cool Tibetan pendants–add a provocative element to your look.
• A vintage magnifying glass dangling from a belly-button-length gold chain electrify that simple black dress and cardigan.
• A chocolate brown wrap dress becomes an IT GIRL ensemble with onyx beads, a knuckle duster of a cocktail ring, fish nets over opaque tights and black boots.
• Black-and-white M&M-shaped beads and a fringed lime green shawl give the black sweater and pencil runway appeal.
• Go 70s with va-va-voom chain belts and drippy gold earrings.

Forget dainty pendants and prissy stud earrings. Jewelry should mirror the bravado of your bump. Bold baubles—cuff bracelets, gold chains, chandelier earrings–amplify your style quotient.

My favorite resources for accessories? H&M, Lia Sophia, Kara Ross New York, J CREW and Ann Taylor.

In addition to authoring Bump It Up, Amy Tara Koch contributes to American Baby, iVillage, People Moms and Babies, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and The New York Observer, and is a style expert for Vogue and Twitter Moms.