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Reviewed / Emily P.G. Erickson
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Reviewed / Emily P.G. Erickson
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The band of these leggings nearly covered our tester’s big bump and the waistband comfortably rested on top of her belly without constricting. Read More
The fabric is very soft and threads the needle between flexibility and stability—allowing for full range of motion without sagging. Read More
After the wash test, the waistband had shrunk uncomfortably and the leggings required more adjustment throughout the day to stay up. Read More
While the other maternity leggings we reviewed recommend sticking with your pre-pregnancy size, Blanqi’s sizing goes by your current height and weight. Read More
The fabric’s lack of give made the leggings uncomfortably constricting for a full day of wear. Read More
Pregnancy is a magical time—you’re growing a whole new human! It’s also a deeply strange time—you’re growing a whole new human inside your existing body! At no other time in your life will your body change as rapidly for as good a reason. Your changing shape needs clothes that can change, too: Enter maternity leggings.
There are a lot of maternity clothes on the market, and the quality varies considerably. The last thing you need during pregnancy is something that's uncomfortable, see-through, or cuts off circulation to your growing bump. That’s why we had a very pregnant writer (and third-time mom) check out eight of the top options on the market.
The clear winner was the Girlfriend Collective Maternity Legging (available at Girlfriend Collective). The soft, opaque leggings offer comfort for all-day wear, and the high-quality, breathable fabric will easily last through nine months of wear (and beyond).
The Maternity Crossover Panel Active Leggings from Isabel Maternity by Ingrid & Isabel (available at Target) were a close second. They were soft, comfortable, and opaque. Plus, they are more budget-friendly than our winner, making it our Best Value pick. These leggings only lost points for some minor fading after our wash test.
Girlfriend Collective's maternity leggings are comfortable for a full day of wear.
Ingrid & Isabel's maternity leggings are an affordable—and attractive—choice.
Lots of colors
Opaque
Stays above bump
Runs small
Not soft
Difficult to wash
Opaque
Smoothing silhouette
Too tight
Uncomfortable for all day wear
Some maternity leggings are designed to go all the way over your bump, while some are designed to rest on it and still others are meant to sit under your bump. As your pregnancy progresses, this last kind can be tough to wear, since the more pregnant you are, the more potential for a shirt-pant gap.
To avoid the unintentional crop top, we tested leggings designed to go part way or all the way over your belly. With this design, it’s important that the waistband is snug enough to stay up without feeling constricting.
Speaking of constricting, these leggings have a tough job: They need to be tight enough to stay up without requiring constant adjustment while also being flexible enough to allow for movement in a rapidly growing body. During pregnancy you have enough impacting your breathing and blood flow, your maternity leggings don’t need to be one of them.
If your maternity leggings are see-through, they’re not doing their job as pants. But plenty of maternity leggings struggle in this category. The stretchiness that’s so important to comfortable wear for your changing body sometimes leads to leggings that stretch to the point of transparency, particularly over the thicker parts of your body like your thighs or bottom. That’s why paying attention to opacity is especially important for maternity leggings.
During pregnancy, everything stretches to accommodate your growing baby—including your skin. For many pregnant people, this means your skin is sensitive to fabrics in a way it hasn’t been before. So even if you’re not normally one to care much about whether your pants are particularly soft, softness is an important consideration for maternity leggings.
Even though pregnancy is time-limited, chances are, your maternity leggings will get a lot of mileage during those 40-some weeks and often into the postpartum period. This means durability is important.
Emily P.G. Erickson is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in psychology. A former mental health researcher, her journalism and essays about mental health, mindfulness, and motherhood have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Romper, and elsewhere. Emily lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children. For more from Emily, visit www.emilypgerickson.com.
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