The start of a new pregnancy trend...
Nude portraits
Posing for a magazine a la Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair is so passe if you are a celebrity. This year it's all about getting an artist to paint a portrait in all your naked pregnant glory.
Sienna Miller sat for British artist Jonathon Yeo in July, just weeks before the birth of her daughter Marlow, for a series of portraits titled (I’ve Got You) Under My Skin due to be exhibited in Berlin.
Silhouette Belly Shots
Everyone loves a beautiful pregnancy photograph, but the image to capture for mamas-to-be in 2012 is the silhouette belly shot. Vanessa (Minnillo) Lachey recently tweeted a stunning one of herself (taken by husband Nick Lachey), but this style of pic has been trending on Pinterest all year. Want to take one yourself? You don't need a celeb body (or a pool overlooking the ocean). Just wear a body-hugging outfit and position yourself so the setting sun is behind you. Added bonus: silhouettes hide any additional bumps, bulges or blemishes that have come along with your pregnancy.
Gender reveal cakes
Finding out the sex of your baby from the ultrasound has become passe. In 2012, expectant parents are discovering whether they're having a boy or girl in a sweeter and much more public way -– with a gender reveal cake. Here's how it works: Couples ask the ultrasound tech or obstetrician to write down their baby’s gender and they seal the note in an envelope, which parents bring to a bakery. The baker then prepares a cake that reveals nothing on the outside, but is filled with either pink or blue frosting. The first slice spills the secret!
Many couples are opting to elevate the experience with a gender reveal party -- with cake cutting as the main event. Terri Leckas, owner of Queen of Cakes told iVillage she's already started baking three or four gender reveal cakes a week -- a number she's sure will increase as the year goes on.
More unmarried parents
First comes love, then comes baby? That's about right, according to a study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which has found one-third of the nation's babies are now born out of wedlock, with the percentage of children born to unmarried parents rising from 22 per cent in 1990 to 34 per cent in 2010.
3D foetus replicas
Probably not for everyone: a clinic in Tokyo is offering parents-to-be the opportunity to have a small model replica of their unborn child. How does it work? A MRI scan of the mother's womb is then run through 3D software and sent to a 3D printer where the model is created from white and clear resin, The Huffington Post reports.
Manshowers
Hey, being a Dad is lifechanging, too. Cue the rise of the "Manshower" or "Dadchelor" party -- a bunch of guys getting together for one last hurrah before the nights of sleep deprivation and nappy duty begin. Whether it's a camping trip or a man-cave retreat, Dads-to-be have started commemorating their last pre-parent days with a celebration of their own. "There's something to be said for giving dads-to-be a chance to feel supported by their friends," John Casey wrote in iVillage. "Since, let's be honest, going on a bender is often the guy version of sitting around and discussing our feelings."
Chevron decor
Lively enough for a baby's room, yet sophisticated enough to please adult eyes, we're seeing chevron everywhere from walls and ceilings to rugs and bedding. "In this economy, parents want timeless patterns, not rooms that end up looking too 'babyish,'" says Nancy Breslin, a NYC-based interior designer. Plus, with a rise of twin pregnancies, she sees a lot of boy-girl rooms and chevron is a popular pick for unisex nurseries.
Birth Photographers
When you go into labour, who do you call? Your doctor, your husband, your doula, and now your photographer? Yes, that's right -- more and more parents are hiring professional photographers to capture the once-in-a-lifetime event of childbirth in all of its pain and glory, according to The New York Times. While many hospitals have rules banning photos and videos in the delivery room, many aren't opposed to still photography. So if you don't mind being, er, exposed, you can get some one-of-a-kind professional quality pictures of your baby's first beautiful moments.
Designer Maternity Clothing
Many pregnant women dread the moment when they have to ditch their wardrobe to buy bump-accommodating maternity clothes. That's why HATCH was an instant hit -- and claimed both Molly Sims and Gwyneth Paltrow as fans. Created by twobirds designer Ariane Goldman, the collection features draped dresses, shirts and pants made to fit pregnant women from month one to month nine, but the styles don't scream maternity. With prices in the $200 to 300 range, HATCH may be out of reach for some mums-to-be, but the company touts the line as clothing you'll want to wear before, during and after pregnancy, which helps make the hefty price tags seem more worthwhile.
Baby Doughnuts
What started as a wedding trend has arrived at baby showers: The doughnut has replaced the ubiquitous cupcake as the baby shower dessert of the moment. The newly in-demand pastries are showing up with gender-specific pink or blue icing as well as with sprinkles. The cute serving possibilities are endless: Place them on platters, display them on doughnut trees, offer up piles of donut holes, give them away in gift bags, create a pyramid or (if you're not ready to say good-bye) stack them on top of cupcakes.
WombTube Pregnancy Reveals
From Skyping friends and family with your firstborn wearing a t-shirt stating, "I'm going to be a big brother" to posting your first sonogram photo on Facebook, we've seen all kinds of creative ways to announce a pregnancy, but a growing number of parents-to-be are broadcasting their joy even earlier -- videotaping the pregnancy test as it turns positive and sharing it on Youtube.
Welcome to the weird, yet addicting, world of dramatic WombTube videos. Just search "pregnancy test results" to find everything from a woman taking an pregnancy test (in real time) to a mum with her daughter taking a look at the test results for the first time. Some of the revealing videos get more than 50,000 views -- giving new meaning to the idea of "big news."
Belly Belts
Ties and straps are nothing new when it comes to ever-adjustable maternity clothes, but this year's belt trend has added even more options to the pregnant woman's style repertoire. Fashion-forward celeb mamas-to-be are belting above the belly with dramatic results: Anna Paquin, pregnant with twins, rocked the style at this year's Comic-Con festival and Kristin Cavallari cinched a white maxi dress with a skinny above-belly belt. And Tori Spelling, pregnant with baby number 4, has been spotted several times with an above-the-bump belt. Beyond dresses, this look works with flowy tops, printed blouses and tees, too.
Rhyming Baby Names
Although Aiden only cracked the US top ten baby names two years ago, parents certainly like the sound of it. "Forty-one names that rhymed with Aiden made the top 1,000 names list, including Jayden and Braedyn," says Laura Wattenberg, founder of babynamewizard.com. "[Rhyming] is an easy way for parents to create names that are distinctive but don't sound odd." Other mums and dads opt to stick with a common name but spell it in an unusual way, and again, Aiden is a great example.
According to Baby Names Made Easy author Amanda Barden, "Aidan is the traditional spelling, but the most popular spelling on the charts right now is Aiden," which is the spelling rocker Rod Stewart used for his latest offspring. "It also shows up a bunch of other ways, including Aaden, Aden, Ayden, Aedan, Adan and Aydan." Some parents are so obsessed with finding a one-of-a-kind spelling for their baby's name that they do extensive googling before they settle on the letters.
Having trouble finding a name yourself? Check out our baby name finder here.
Ruffle Cakes
Move over cake pops, this frilly showstopper has been stealing centr stage at more and more baby showers and birthday parties in 2012. "People like the feel of it," says Erica O’Brien, owner of Erica O’Brien Cake Designs. "It has a homemade look to it, but also seems sophisticated enough that not every home cook could achieve it." It's not impossible to DIY, of course, and there's a wide enough margin for error that the effect is still impressive even if the ruffles are not all exactly the same size. You can try Martha Stewart's recipe, but check out these helpful directions from Cake Optimist first.
Live Tweeting Labour
Looking for something to keep your mind off labour in between contractions? Why not pull out your iPhone and start Tweeting your labour deets to all of your followers? This year, more and more mums have been sharing live, up-to-the-minute, labour and delivery updates via Twitter. Even Pregnant in Heels star Rosie Pope shared 140 character blips -- clueing followers in to her pain, Pitocin side effects, hospital gown and, of course the arrival of her daughter Vivienne, with the help of her hubby Daron. Why did Rosie want to Tweet such a private and sacred moment? She told the TODAY Show that she wanted to share the real side of labour including both the joy and the hard parts. Other mums said they wanted to keep friends and family members updated. What's next? With Pinterest addictions still going strong, perhaps it's only a matter of time before we'll see live pinning of childbirth.
Going Green for Baby
With study after study connecting common household chemical exposure during pregnancy to increased risk for everything from eczema to premature births, it's no wonder that more and more expectant mums are going green. They're more aware of the effects of synthetic chemicals on their developing baby and willing to pay attention to the products they use during pregnancy for cleaning and skincare, according to Giggle. So it's no surprise that we've seen new brands meet that need. Jessica Alba recently introduced her new product line, The Honest Company -- which means mums-to-be have more choice than ever to help them avoid toxins.
Next Up: 9 innovative (and easy) ways to document your pregnancy
Starting to show? Check out these fun ways to track your belly's growth
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