Josie Gagliano

Jeans. A good pair can see you through years of subtle changes. An excellent pair will see you through the most mammoth of changes your body will ever experience – pregnancy. I know that when my body went through a humungous shape shift when I was carrying my twins, I couldn't wait to finally buy a good pair of maternity jeans.

They all looked so cute and comfy, finally I could invest in a pair.

But then I thought – "oh, I'll only wear them for, like, eight months, tops. Maybe I shouldn’t spend so much on them?"

Turns out the chain store pair I bought lasted me … only about two months, maybe six weeks. The problem: a flimsy, narrow jersey waistband - with not much give at all. It simply could not accommodate a growing belly. That, and my belly just 'exploded' in size, which meant bye-bye to the cheapie jeans.

And so, I did a little research and uncovered what constitutes a good pair of maternity jeans:

A soft and stretchy fabric:

While a belly belt serves a purpose to extend the wear of your fave pants when you are newly pregnant, that doesn't take into account that it will only work if your thighs don't grow bigger. Who are we kidding? Of course they will!

I have trialed Mamaway brand jeans [no, I am not pregnant; yes, I do some work for Mamaway; and yes, I have been wearing a pair of their maternity jeans and secretly loving them] and they are specially designed for pregnant women, and their denim is soft and stretchy throughout the whole jeans. Bliss.

The waistband:

The fabrics should be long enough the cover the whole belly for comfort and stability – the worst thing to have to do is to pull up your waistband all day long. Not comfy, not flattering. Take note: many bands are far too short. Your belly is about to get huuuge! Check out this comparison diagram, showing a large waistband from Mamaway, and teeny ones from some other brands:



Look for: a double layer fabric, which provides extra durability.

Tip: simply fold it down and wear like normal jeans after giving birth. You will find your maternity jeans will end up becoming your 'comfy pair' long after you've delivered.

Value for money:

Score the right pair of maternity jeans with all of the above criteria met and you won't waste your money. You will wear them throughout your breastfeeding period, and well beyond.

Bonus tip: not only do you want a waistband that covers the whole belly, you want one that can give you great back support. When heavily pregnant, your back will likely hurt like mad in the last trimester, second trimester even. Mamaway maternity jeans help support the back. Hurrah.

What do YOU look for in maternity jeans?

About the blogger:

Josie Gagliano is a blogger, and she blogs on all things multiples and more here: www.twinnieworld.blogspot.com. She also blogs for maternity and babywear hub http://www.mamaway.com.au and can be found imparting pregnancy and post-baby fashion advice here at Bub Hub.