Maternity Jeans

I wear jeans all the time! I love them! But maternity jeans make me wonder if the people who designed them were ever actually pregnant.

The Full Panel: (or "Secret Fit") The only maternity pants I ever bought brand new were both full panel. They seem to be very common now, and in some stores, the only kind of waist on maternity pants. I really regretted it! Sure, when you try them on in the store they fit great and feel great and look great. But when I wear them through the day, they are always shifting down and I'm constantly hiking them up. Now, if I'm out in public, this can look really bad since the top of the band is way up at the top of the belly, I have to reach way up there under my shirt to pull it back up. Maybe if I stayed in one place and sat all the time, it wouldn't be so bad, but I'm up and down and on the floor with my little ones and these jeans just don't work for me. Besides that, as the pregnancy progresses, it really makes my belly itchy to have that spandexy material hugging it all the time.

Mid Belly: I have two pair that are like this. I got them both used. They both have a thick and strong elastic waist band inside the stretchy material at the top. I actually do wear these ones pretty often and feel alright about them, but I don't wear them the way they are intended. I fold it down so the thick elastic is actually around my hips under my belly. If I left it unfolded, I would have a line across the middle of my belly that would be really very visible! The tightening there causes two bulges on each side, dividing my tummy into two big rolls! That's not attractive at all! Plus, that's not comfortable either to have something tight in the middle of the belly. And how do you expect something that holds at the widest point to stay u? Of course they're going to slide down the hill of the belly and shift down. But I do the best I can since I got them used and roll down the waist. And it works for me.

Self Belly: I actually have 3 pairs of pants with this waistband. And this is probably my favourite kind of waistband on maternity jeans so far. Maybe when I have to go to the bathroom or toward the end of the pregnancy they might feel a tiny bit uncomfortable from the pressure there. But I have to wear pants and they have to stay up and this has been the best performing for me. One pair even has an adjustable elastic inside that you can pull tighter or more loose by attaching it to the button. I'll wear this kind of pant from the time my belly gets to big for my normal pants, right through my pregnancy, and continue wearing them after until my belly shrinks enough to fit back into my pants. 

Sidenote: I'm currently dissatisfied with them only because one is too big on me so is saggy, one is too short (I should see if I can take down the hem) and the my favourite pair has big holes in the knees, one of which I've patched and the other I'm too scared to patch because the fabric is so thin I think it'll just tear. I'm thinking about cutting off the legs and making some long shorts out of them for this summer pregnancy.

I know there are other waist bands out there, but these are the ones I've tried. What do you prefer for maternity jeans? I've heard some people wear regular jeans that are a size or two bigger and wear them below the belly. I think it would be a bit of a saggy fit though. I've read some articles of people raving about the side panel maternity pants. I'd love to hear some other opinions so please feel free to comment!

Here's a Maternity Panel Guide on Motherhood Maternity.