The Untold Glory of Maternity Pants

Bonjour!

Let me tell you, dear reader, that pregnancy is a journey, full of surprises, challenges, and excitement. The learning curve for me was très steep; I’ve never been pregnant before and knew little about what it entailed except maybe “morning sickness” and some sort of rumor about “labor and delivery.”

After years of thinking about pregnancy and la maternité as part of my path to joyful living, the time came for me to do some homework when L’Husband and I began the fertility process. Ever the good student, I read books and talked to friends and acquaintances about fertility treatments and actually being pregnant. I learned a beaucoup about the female body, reproductive endocrinology, and the science and magic of growing a tiny human inside of my body.

Less intense was some much-needed pandemic pregnancy retail therapy and self-care. Who knew there was so much cool stuff out there I didn’t know I needed for pregnancy and le bébé – the cribs and bibs, the body pillows and body products!

Maternity jeans: Also comfortable for lounging dachshunds the world over.

Shopping for baby-related paraphernalia is not for the faint of heart. You must beware Big Maternity’s agenda to bombard us with momfluencers, trick us into comparing ourselves to others, and buy baby crap we truly do not need. (Wherefore $1,000 bassinets? Le sigh.) And it turns out that shopping for maternity clothes is mostly a lesson in futility. (So is making a baby registry. Le sigh encore.)

My most exciting discovery: the untold glory of maternity pants. After a rare foray into the Outside World to do some actual Shopping (bonjour, COVID), I found a pair of maternity jeans in a vintage wash with a bootcut at Target. (Who knew bootcut style was back? Merci for triggering my crippling nostalgia for the Nineties.)

While maternity jeans support my baby bump, Le Chien‘s paws do little to help the cause. The dog definitely knows something is afoot!

It turns out that while a multitude of stores sell maternity clothes, what few shopping options exist in my central Illinois town do not actually carry said garments in store, so Target it was. Luckily, the jeans are Fairtrade certified so I could honor my commitment to being more sustainable and mindful in 2022.

As I slipped the maternity jeans on for the very first time, I knew that I had found true love. Was is the soft denim that hugged my curvier hips, the relaxed leg that kept my crampy calves in comfort, the stretch panel that lovingly accommodated and supported my burgeoning belly? My new maternity jeans are all of these things and So Much More.

While I rarely feel sorry for men (because why?), let me tell you: They are really missing out on not wearing maternity pants.

Query: Why don’t I wear maternity pants all the time?

I have every intention of wearing these magnificent maternity jeans during the so-called the fourth trimester and beyond postpartum, and encourage you to give maternity pants a shot in your wardrobe, regardless of your circumstances. As I said, true love lasts a lifetime.

And because we all know where this is heading… Mom jeans.

What is your favorite thing to wear? What is a new ensemble you’ve always wanted to try?

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

À votre santé,

Katie