Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The problem with Maternity Jeans

Maternity Pants.
Why can't they make ones that fit?
This time, I purchased some Oh Baby jeans, that supposedly have a "Secret Fit Belly".
When I tried them on in the dressing room, with three fussy kids at my feet,
I thought they fit great.
How could they not?
The Secret Fit Belly was patent pending.
Alas.  Now that they are home, & I am trying to wear them during my daily activity,
they are awful.  The keep falling down.
I have to hold them up.
The secret fit of the belly is that it is not tight or constraining.
Isn't that great?
The other secret is that due to the looseness, they just fall down, once you move a few inches.

What about the mid belly fit?
Those stay up alright.  But, they do the unfortunate dig into the swelling abdomen.
It's like the equator line, right down the middle.
If you have any extra fat there,
this fit of maternity jeans makes sure everyone can see;
as the northern hemisphere hangs over the equator line.

The lower belly fit maternity pants are my favorite.
But, if they are not just right, they can be bad news.
Jeans that I loved in prior pregnancies are too stretched,
to now stay up in earlier pregnancy.
But, it seems all my tighter lower belly bands are too tight.
During the first trimester, the squeeze is intolerable,
making the nausea feelings even worse.
They just squeeze me sick.
Now that I feel better on that front,
they still are squeezing in the wrong place - my bladder.


Maybe there is an answer.  Maybe the really expensive pants do actually fit.
I'll probably never find out.

11 comments:

Stef said...

I always likes the low rise belly fit ones from Gap.
With Kara, I didn't wear maternity jeans - someone taught me a neat trick with a rubber band :)
I completely agree with you though - they're mostly just AWFUL!

Erin said...

I like Gap jeans, too. But, I guess I need to break down & buy another pair. Those are my old favorites that are now too stretched out... :(
I know the rubber band trick & do it sometimes. But, it is rather unsightly if your shirt rides up a bit, such as while you are carrying your other baby around. Ah!

Holly D. said...

I got a pair of non-maternity jeans that were low rise and then sewed in a bella band that fit my snugly. It worked great and was way cheaper than buying maternity jeans.

laura g said...

Ugh. I DREAD trying to find maternity pants. The best pair of maternity jeans I found were an expensive pair from BabyStyle. I happened to stumble on the store in Valley Fair during their "Going bankrupt, everything on sale" sale. Not kidding, the entire brand both online and brick-and-mortar stores are gone now. Which is SAD because those jeans were great. They were low rise with a band just in front and a normal waist in the back. Sadly, I wore them basically every day for the last 20 weeks of my pregnancy with Chloe and for another several months after she was born. They have a hole in one of the legs now...
I have a pair of the secret fit jeans from Motherhood, but I really don't like them at all. It's awkward to constantly be hiking up my waist in public.

So...the search goes on. When I was pregnant with Jenna, my favorite jeans were Gap low rise long and lean fit.

Stef said...

yep, do what Holly did - use the bella band. I did that once my tummy was poking out below my shirt :)

I finally found (during my pregnancy with Kara) that the more I stayed away from maternity clothes (until I had to wear them) I was much more comfortable. So I just kept wearing regular t-shirts from Old Navy or wherever, until the XL's were too small, but for me, that wasn't until near the very end of my pregnancy.
I think they seriously need to make maternity clothes more comfortable, but still stylish.

Krista said...

I agree, best I have found that aren't pricey are the Gap pants. I like the small band that doesn't dig into my extra poochy pregnant stomach. ;)

Holly- smart idea! So you just cut off the original waist band and put on a stretchy one?

big hair betty said...

For some reason, this pregnancy I'm totally digging the above the belly waistband! Who would have thought? I ditched my below the waistband Old Navy jeans, which I've had since pregnant with Ezra, which also showed the extra non-baby bulge, which also were getting a hole in the crotch. I was about to spend the big bucks on some fancy schmancy jeans, but found a cheap pair at Target and should be set to the end of this pregnancy. Erin, go ahead and invest in the pricey jeans, I'm sure you'll get more use out of them! (That was going to be my reasoning!)

Holly D. said...

Krista~ All I did was attach the bella band to the existing waist band. I carry my kids pretty low but towards my back so the less-stretchy waist band isn't a problem but helps keep the pants up, which is ALWAYS a good thing ;)

Stephanie said...

I felt the same way about maternity jeans, until I got a pair from Chip & Pepper during my last pregnancy. I wore them almost every day. They fit like a glove - flattering, but also perfectly fitted.

I just checked online and it doesn't look like they sell the exact style anymore, but these two pairs look close (and the prices aren't too bad): http://bit.ly/bLlnO1 or http://bit.ly/ahaohC.

stephanie@metropolitanmama.net

Erin said...

Alright - I am debating between a new pair of Gap jeans, or trying the Chip & Pepper. But, so far, I don't understand the Canadian sizing for the Chip & Pepper!

big hair betty said...

For some reason, this pregnancy I'm totally digging the above the belly waistband! Who would have thought? I ditched my below the waistband Old Navy jeans, which I've had since pregnant with Ezra, which also showed the extra non-baby bulge, which also were getting a hole in the crotch. I was about to spend the big bucks on some fancy schmancy jeans, but found a cheap pair at Target and should be set to the end of this pregnancy. Erin, go ahead and invest in the pricey jeans, I'm sure you'll get more use out of them! (That was going to be my reasoning!)