In Search of the Best Maternity Jeans—18 Pairs to Shop Now
Ah, pregnancy, so many exciting decisions to make! What color should you paint the nursery? Which breast pump should you buy? Do you really need a spatula to put cream on your baby’s bottom? And will any of these books actually work to get your baby to be a good sleeper? But before all of those decisions about the baby, you must make a crucial decision about yourself: to maternity jeans or not to maternity jeans.
Vogue’s Guide to the Best Maternity Jeans:
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During my own pregnancies, I tried my hardest to be the sort of person who “didn’t buy maternity clothes,” but that did not apply to jeans. In my non-pregnant life, I tend to go for rigid, high-rise jeans–if there are two words you want to avoid when it comes to pregnancy denim, it’s “rigid” and “high rise”–needless to say, I didn’t fit into any of my denim from very early on in my pregnancies. I did try the “rubber band trick” for a few weeks and then finally accepted defeat and purchased a pair of actual maternity jeans. It’s impossible to name the best maternity jeans out there because it is a very personal preference based on how you want your bump to feel. From over the bump to under it, here are the current best options on the market:
Over-the-Bump
Over-the-bump jeans tend to have a rather large amount of cotton or elastic fabric attached to the top of them that can feel very intimidating in the earlier stages of pregnancy, but will feel very necessary by the end. This style can be very divisive: some women prefer it as it feels protective over their bump and also seems to stay up better, while others feel suffocated by so much coverage and uncomfortable as the fabric often stretches all the way up to the bra line. I seem to recall describing the first pair of “over-the-bump” jeans I tried on as “claustrophobic,” but by the end of my pregnancy, they were the only ones I could wear. I’d recommend getting one pair with over-the-bump coverage if you plan to wear pants of any kind in the third trimester.
Under-the-Bump
Under-the-bump jeans are really just jeans with side elastic bits sewn in above the pockets or in lieu of pockets. These are ideal in the early and middle stages of pregnancy when you want to wear cute tops or sweaters and don’t want an extra layer of fabric underneath. The only caveat here is that, depending on how big your bump gets, these can slide down or not feel supportive enough towards the end of pregnancy. Many options in this category are strictly “skinny” jeans but I prefer the ones with a straight-leg or a slightly wider leg as they are definitely more flattering the closer you get to bowling ball status.