I'm 8 months pregnant, and I can't stop wearing these $17 maternity leggings from Amazon
- I'm eight months pregnant and love the $17 Mothers Essentials maternity leggings from Amazon.
- I wear a support band below my baby bump, and the leggings fit over that without being too tight.
- The leggings were warm enough to wear during my winter babymoon, and I already ordered another pair.
Since I found out I was pregnant in July 2020, I've been leaning on maternity-friendly loungewear clothing items to wear around my apartment, including leggings and bike shorts.
It wasn't until I hit the six-month mark of my pregnancy that I realized it was time to order some maternity-specific leggings because my regular ones started to feel tight around my belly.
Since I've had to wear a support band for the last few months of my pregnancy, I needed a pair of leggings that had more room around the waist. The band sits right below my baby bump, and it's meant to alleviate back pain by lifting my belly a bit so I feel less pressure on my spine.
In my pursuit of the perfect maternity leggings, I turned to Amazon because I wanted to find an affordable option. Since I had success with another pair of leggings I customized and ordered on Amazon in the past, I trusted that I could find a pair that was within my price range and would work out.
There, I found the Mothers Essentials maternity leggings, which, at the time of writing, have more than 6,900 ratings, more than half of which are resoundingly positive.
The leggings cost $16.90 at the time of writing, though the price on the website says it ranges from $11.95 to $30.95. They're available in sizes XS to XL and came in three different colors when I ordered them: black, brown, and gray.
To get the best fit, I recommend ordering your non-pregnancy size
In December 2020, I ordered XL leggings, which was the size I anticipated fitting into since I've gained about 40 pounds with my pregnancy.
However, I wish I would have paid closer attention to the product description, which says the fit is "true to size" and advises customers to order their usual - or non-pregnancy - size. For me, that would have been a large.
That being said, my first impression of the leggings was that they were easy to put on and felt extremely comfortable on my body. They also covered my entire belly. I found that the leggings had some extra room in the legs, which might have been because I ordered a size up from my non-pregnancy size.
Most importantly, the Mothers Essentials leggings had enough room to accommodate my support band without making me feel constricted.
An added bonus of the Mothers Essentials leggings was that they kept me warm in the middle of winter. For my babymoon in January, I traveled to upstate New York, where the weather was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit every day and even colder at nighttime.
I was nervous that I would need to wear long johns underneath my leggings, but that wasn't a concern - the pants kept me nice and toasty the whole time, even when I was outside.
What differentiates these leggings from normal, non-maternity leggings is the amount of support they provide. Thanks to a ruched band that sits below the waist, I felt like my belly was supported and snug but not uncomfortable.
I practically lived in the Mothers Essentials leggings during my babymoon, and since then, I've hardly taken them off except to wash them.
I have already ordered a second pair in a size large and plan on adding them to my hospital bag. I think they'll be exactly the type of comfortable clothing item I'll want to wear when I come home with my baby.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).