Pregnant Rebecca Minkoff Talks 'Bolder and Sexier' Maternity Style Ahead of Baby No. 4

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Rebecca Minkoff is starting the new year preparing to start a new chapter — as a mom of four.

While speaking with PEOPLE about her her partnership with M&M's on the Flipping the Status Quo program, the pregnant fashion designer, 42, says she's been taking in every moment of what she says is "definitely my last pregnancy."

When it comes to her maternity style, Minkoff notes that her choices this time around have "definitely been bolder and sexier."

"My creative director at my company was like, 'Don't be ashamed of the bump.' Not that I was ever ashamed of it but more like, 'It's okay to show it off,' " she explains.

"We recreated this Rihanna outfit and had all this fun with it, and I think I've just taken more risks with this pregnancy," she says. "It's definitely my last pregnancy, and so I was like, why not celebrate the bump? Show it off, wear a crop top. We can do all the things."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

RELATED: Ashley Graham, Rebecca Minkoff and More Moms Share Postpartum Stories in 'Life After Birth'

When it comes to navigating this pregnancy, Minkoff likened it to her third pregnancy in 2019.

"So my third pregnancy was pretty hard towards the end, and I'm gonna go on record and say, this is equally as hard," she admits.

"But I think I'm more aware of slowing down this time and getting physical therapy — which I badly needed during the last one and I didn't get — and just trying to mitigate the effects of what is happening to me right now."

Minkoff and her husband, commercial director Gavin Bellour, share sons Nico, 4, and Luca, 11, and daughter Bowie, 8, who are all excited to welcome another sibling, though the creative mom jokes there are "some asterisks there."

"My daughter will only be happy if it's a girl, and my youngest will only be happy if it's a boy," she laughs. "And we don't know the gender, so someone's gonna be disappointed."

When it comes to her partnership with M&Ms, Minkoff is excited about the limited-edition packs, the first-ever all-female packs in celebration of International Women's Day.

"I think that symbols are very powerful things, especially for young people who don't often understand the larger significance," she tells PEOPLE. "Trying to explain to my daughter that women still don't make as much money as men is a little bit over her head still, but she can be like, 'Oh my God, there's a purple M&M, and it's celebrating women. M&MS is celebrating women. That's so cool.'"

She continues, "It should be normalized and should be equal, that's a great place to start. So that's why I'm excited and honored, frankly that it's not only just a symbol but the money that you know, will be used to empower women and their businesses is really what is also making this an exceptional partnership."

Courtesy of Mars

From Jan. 5th to Jan. 15th, people are invited to nominate the women in their lives who are flipping the status quo for the chance to be featured on M&M'S platforms and receive $10,000 to fund their mission further. As part of the Flipping the Status Quo program, M&M's is supporting organizations that are committed to uplifting and empowering women doing incredible work in their respective fields and in their everyday lives.

A new baby will certainly flip the status quo in Minkoff's household, a change the designer says is a "beautiful thing."

"I just think that from my past three, you know, it's falling in love again. It's always a beautiful thing, that time falling in love with your children."

She continues, "When you fall in love with your partner, there are compromises to be made, but when it's your baby, it's just pure love. And so I'm excited to have that again."