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So far for pregnancy I have tried a fetal carrier that I put on the minifig's back but this limits her movements. Specifically she can't bend too far in either direction and also she can't lay down the way she normally would (she would have to like bend her legs when she lays down or something to keep the fetus inside).
My minifigs don't have a hole in the belly where I can put a big white dome to illustrate pregnancy.
So what is the best way to show pregnancy without a pregnancy dome?
The best piece to represent a round belly is the "Plate, Round 2 x 2 with Rounded Bottom" (part 2654). The "dome" pieces are way too big. Connect the rounded bottom plate to the bottoms of two "Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Headlight" bricks (part 4070), also known as the Erling brick. Use short legs to get the total height right.
Note that the pegs on the leg pieces are slightly larger than a normal stud, so they make for a very tight fit in the back of the Erling brick. They do fit with some force, and they are difficult to remove.
FYI, I experimented with a few iterations, including one using a 2x2 flat tile on a bracket, and this was the version that had my non-Lego fan wife exclaim, "Oh yeah, that looks good!"
One alternative is to use an appropriate decal rather than trying to construct something.
Image courtesy Flikr.
As far as I can see, most LEGO pregnancies appear to cheat, using glue or Blu Tack to attach the various elements on to the stomach of the minifig.
One example I've seen is the use of a 1x2 tile, as seen here at the Brick Testament:
In this image, Mary could be holding the tile in place, but in other images, her hands are not near enough.
Also to your point of lying down - in real life I've noticed that some pregnant women prefer to lay on their sides rather than their backs, certainly during the later stages of pregnancy.
I usually hang the minifig back plate with knob on the front with a dome, or I use two between the torso and legs (they will fit) and attach a dome or something else.
