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Again, this is one of my favorite topics, so excuse my attraction to trivia. I think the value of the tummy might be too dark and too warm. In pregnancy, the tummy is cooler than usual, and probably doesn't see the sun too much either. A very pregnant woman of caucasian descent has a high likelihood that her skin becomes more translucent, and blood flow increases. So, there should be a good deal of veinous blood cooling the value of the surface of her belly and chest. In addition, the skin is probably very taut, and more shiny. But these things are out of our normal range of portraiture experiences, so how would one represent that? I keep picturing Bougeureau's reclining woman on the sand, the one with the giant wave that's about to crash down her. She has beautiful bluish skin tones.
Maybe Tim's on the money - painting from life would have been great, but the pose would have to have been seated, and Kim, you'd have to paint really fast!
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