Maternity Jeans For Periods

I bought maternity jeans for my period. Yes, really. You might think maternity jeans for periods is ridiculous, and you might be right, but I thought it might be a good step in the right direction in answering a seemingly eternal issue – how can I feel comfortable physically and still like my outfit?  

This was a long time coming 

I got this idea a few years ago. After spending a full decade complaining that I looked pregnant when I was on my period and nothing was comfortable, I had a realisation that those women aren’t trying to squeeze into their pre-pregnancy jeans when they’re at the point where they become extremely uncomfortable/ impossible to fasten. 

Unfortunately, I’m a UK size 4 and quickly discovered that the majority of maternity ranges started at an 8. I could have bought a regular pair of size 8 jeans and not had waist band issues, so my amazing idea was suddenly quashed.  

However, like the majority of size ranges in general, maternity ranges have expanded. And I recently discovered that Asos sell a limited number of their maternity pieces in a 4 now, including some of their jeans and the idea sparked again. I had to try it.  

This is a seasonal issue  

Summer isn’t really an issue, I can embrace the floaty swing or smock dress in my regular size, the bloat is hidden and to the average passer-by, I look like I would if I were wearing that dress any other day. Then, every year, winter comes around and I’m suddenly struggling again.  

I have many oversized jumpers/ loose tops/ shirts etc. Dressing the obvious part of my bloat is very easy, but I struggle with the bottom half. I’m very petite, and find that if I wear something on the loose size on the top and bottom, I look like a little kid playing dress up in her mum’s clothes. And I’m not at all comfortable in what I’m wearing. My jeans categorically do not fit in any way shape or form when I’m on my period, unless I’m talking about the last day. The majority of my trousers are skinny/ cigarette style; even my culottes have a tighter waist before they flare. 

After realising that maternity jeans in my size were now an option, and them very conveniently being in the sale for a mere £9 at the time I was browsing, I decided it was time to finally try it.  

Suggested Read: What to wear on your period

I bought maternity jeans for my period

Why not size up? 

Yes, I can wear clothes in a bigger size. But then the legs are too big or something else is too baggy and I constantly feel like my clothes still don’t fit. I know my outfit being right is somewhat superficial, but I’m a believer in ‘look good, feel good’, or more accurately, look good and feel slightly better. Discomfort in clothing on top of already overwhelming physical discomfort doesn’t set me up for a great day.  

And as maternity jeans are designed for when your bump is smaller and to stretch with you as you grow, I thought they could be a better fit than simply sizing up in ‘normal’ clothes.  

Will they be too big?  

I was very worried about this when I ordered them. Worried to the point that I started googling when women start wearing maternity clothes on average. After reading more forums and comments on news articles than I care to admit, I made a few discoveries.  

  1. Jeans are usually the first maternity item that people buy. 
  1. They were that said first item for months sometimes before they buy a second piece of maternity wear.  

This gave me hope. I was both shocked and pleasantly surprised to see a lot of women saying they started wearing maternity jeans at the 9-10 weeks mark, even though they weren’t in maternity tops until they were close to their third trimester. Then comes the equally ridiculous part of me trying to imagine what I’d look like at 9-10 weeks and comparing that to my period bloat. Obviously, everyone carries differently but based on literally every single pregnant woman I’ve ever seen, both in real life and online (thank you, YouTube), I thought my bloat was at the very least comparable to the average announcement video bump shot.  

The Jeans 

So, the jeans in question are the ASOS Ridley High Waisted Maternity Jean, with an under the bump band. And they were in the sale for £9.35 at the point I purchased them. There’s no zip/ button and the stretch band isn’t too obvious.  

Do they fit?!  

This wasn’t planned, but the stars aligned for me. They arrived one day before my period was due, after lunch, with PMS bloat. An almost perfect time to try them on. And they fit! For the first try on, there was about an inch of spare fabric on the waist band, but these jeans have belt hooks, which I wasn’t sure if maternity jeans would. So that surplus could easily be dealt with. But even with the extra fabric on the waist, because they were such a good fit on my legs/ lower hip area, they weren’t falling down at all.  

One thing to note about the belt – with them being an under the bump band, the belt hooks are only on the back and the belt doesn’t sit right if you try to do it up the usual way. I needed to slide down a whole so it was one looser than I’d usually wear it so it would sit on the bump band rather than my true waist line. But that was still enough to take care of the excess fabric.  

I’m going to insert a few photos here of my first try on (with the grey sweater) then some more when I tried them on properly when my period arrived.  

maternity jeans for period - PMS try on

Regular Sized Jeans  

Just for reference, I do own a pair of ASOS high waisted jeans in my regular W24L32 size. They aren’t Ridley’s, so it’s not the exact same model that the maternity jeans are based on, but I thought for a sizing point of view, I’d show you how they usually fit and what they look like when I’m trying to squeeze my bloat into them. I’m actually shocked I could do up the button. But it did feel like it was about to pop straight off again.  

Do I wear them? 

I bought these a while ago now and wanted to wait to see how much they got worn after the novelty factor wore off. These jeans were one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I wear them basically every period, for roughly my first three days before my slightly larger regular clothes start to fit again.  

maternity jeans period day 3
Belted on period day four, same outfit for context

And I’m now on the hunt for another pair of maternity jeans/ trousers for my period.  

I cannot recommend enough. This was a game changer.  

If you struggle with severe bloating and feel the same awkward way when it comes to finding clothing that fits properly, I’d give them a try. And the beauty of online shopping means you don’t have to feel awkward at the checkout.  

Until next time, 

Sophie 

 

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