Every woman who's ever been pregnant has been faced with the dilemma of maternity clothes: To buy, or not to buy? In these financially challenging times, the temptation not to buy is very strong. And I wish I could report that the BellaBand is a solution to your first- and second-trimester wardrobe woes, but I can't.

I bought one as soon as I found out I was pregnant, and pretty soon I was putting it to use. But not for long. After a couple weeks of struggling, I put it in the closet and didn't use it again. When I got pregnant, I was no waif -- about a size 14 -- and I grew about 2 sizes in about 2 months. Maybe it works better for skinnier women, but on me, it just didn't cut it. It rolled down; it rolled up; it never felt secure. I always felt as if I were one false move away from my pants falling down. It was a real disappointment.

If you're reading this review with a baby on the way, you're probably wondering what I did do. Well, since properly-fitting maternity pants for non-skinny women are nearly impossible to come by, I learned how to make do. Since the BellaBand couldn't salvage my pre-pregnancy jeans, I sprang for 2 pairs of Gap jeans with an elastic top. Those were the only maternity clothes I found that fit. I'd never worn plus-sized clothes, but I discovered that 1X-2X plus-size clothes with elastic waists were nearly as good as correctly sized pregnancy clothes, and often much, much cheaper.

Sorry, zaftig ladies. I wish I had better news for you. Perhaps others have had better luck, but I can't recommend the BellaBand.