From Here To Maternity: A weekly column for the Hull Daily Mail by terrified mum-to-be Catherine Lea.
The lovely Kate has done it again. Stepping out in a Séraphine fuchsia dress for her first official family portrait with hubby Wills and the adorable George, the Duchess of Cambridge has proved that "the Kate effect" is still a powerful one.
Within 48 hours, the knotted front dress from the London-based maternity label had sold out – at least it had in a size 8, and retail pundits are predicting the "Kate effect" will result in a doubling of Séraphine's turnover.
The £46 dress can still be yours, but raging demand means orders will not be dispatched until mid September.
For the record, I picked up a remarkably similar knotted number in black from the Mamas & Papas' sale (£22), and wasn't paid to wear it but parted with my own hard-earned cash, although I can't imagine the "Lea effect" will have any impact on that retailer's turnover, not a positive one at least.
Nevertheless, Kate's ability to boost the sales of everything from suits to handbags will no doubt rile the less majestic Kim Kardashian (for those who are not in the Kardashian know-how, the reality TV "star" is becoming known for her tweets about beauty and post-pregnancy products).
But, while I'm sure the fuchsia Séraphine number will be discussed for at least the foreseeable future, I very much doubt it will have the kind of impact Demi Moore had after whipping off her kit mid-pregnancy for the front cover of Vanity Fair in 1991.
In the 22 years since that photograph was taken, the reaction to it has gone from "put your clothes on, woman" to "oooh, shall we get one of those done for the living room wall?"
What was originally met with comments such as "grotesque" and "obscene" (seriously) is now a multi-billion- pound industry that has seen everyone from celebs to Saturday checkout operators rushing to photographic studios to record their bump in all its blooming, naked glory.
And Demi's "outfit" not only cost far less than £46, it is something every woman has to hand without having to order it online (although I bet the amount spent on body oil, make-up and airbrushing applied to her birthday suit bumped up the zero price tag considerably).
Even better, a naked bod requires no ironing beforehand, though I can't be the only pregnant person who wouldn't mind ironing a few bits into submission.
I doubt I'll be going for a similar shoot, if only because my partner informed me my bellybutton was "weird" long before I was pregnant, and so putting up any such pictures in our living room is likely to "put people off their dinner", apparently.
But for those brave enough to bare all, I'd say, do like a Demi and get your bump out.
For those more reserved and with less cash to splash than the Duchess of Cambridge, head to Primark, where oversized vests are just £4 a pop.
