Goodbye to Summer and Non-Maternity Jeans
These photos are from a few weeks ago, when I was about 14 weeks pregnant, and since then, I’ve had to bid farewell to all my non-maternity jeans.
They also feel like a last farewell to summer. I mean, it’s still hot here, but I feel like the worst of the summer heat is basically behind us and the nights are beautifully cool and many afternoons it’s not too hot to venture out to the park or wear jeans without wishing to die an immediate death.
Fortunately, after three pregnancies, I have three or four decent pairs of maternity jeans, and after a week of having to unbutton my pants every time I sat down for more than five seconds, I finally pulled out the box in the basement and grabbed a couple of pairs.
These Madewell jeans have been some of my favorite for the last nine months (seriously, so comfortable and no sagging and bagging), and I’ll be happy to see them next year when buttons are an option for me again.
Also, I found out that Madewell just came out with maternity jeans this year, and I’m definitely planning to try them out.
During my last pregnancy, I got my first pair of high-end maternity jeans (this pair, if you’re curious), and I wore them probably four times a week from October to February, and I’ve already worn them about eight times in the last two and a half weeks.
I couldn’t believe what a difference a really good pair of jeans made during that pregnancy, and I remember telling Bart as I folded them up after Star was born, “I might need to have another baby just so I can wear these jeans for one more pregnancy.”
Franky, those jeans were the reason I finally splurged on a few pairs of not-$15 jeans in the past year. If you’re wondering how I get a lot done during the day, it’s because I no longer spend 3 hours of my day pulling my jeans back up over my hips.
I’ll probably buy two new pairs of maternity jeans for this pregnancy (which means I’ll likely try on 40 pairs).
And while I’m always SO happy to be back to pants that button after my babies are born, I won’t pretend I’m not enjoying some elastic waistbands and pretend zippers for now.
First, congrats on the new baby Janssen! I can't believe I've been following you since before Ella was born. Time is a crazy thing.
Second, the Madewell jeans. I tried them on this year and yes, they are amazing! Fit great in my hips, waist, and thighs… but not so much in my calves. Actually, they were pretty baggy there, when I want my skinny jeans to be fitted all the way down to my ankles. Did you have this issue at all? It was the only thing that prevented me from getting them, and now I'm stuck pulling up my Gap jeans all day long (sigh). Any tips?
You know, I've ordered a bunch of pairs of Madewell jeans from ThredUp, all of which were supposedly the Skinny Skinny cut and only a few have really fit me perfectly. So I don't know what the difference is and why some seem different. These black ones are perfect, but other ones have done exactly what you mentioned. I feel like the best option is to go to a store and try a bunch on or order a whole bunch of them and return the ones that don't work. Very frustrating.
Ah, I only gave one or two styles a try, so maybe I'll do that – thanks! Frustrating, but finding that one good pair may just be worth it.
Did you really spend $178 on maternity jeans? Yikes!
I had a gift card, so I didn't pay for the entire thing out of pocket, but I did pay for a good chunk of them myself and they were worth every penny. I have three or four pairs of cheap maternity jeans and I basically never wore them because they always made me feel frumpy. I wore these ones probably 80 times during my last pregnancy (four times a week for 20 weeks) and I thought I'd probably have another pregnancy, so I'd get another round of wear out of them. They were really what convinced me that one nice item was worth 5 cheap ones.
I'm amazed by how long you can hide a pregnancy… Even if I don't look pregnant, I'm telling someone every chance I get haha. But you've totally convinced me over the last year that one good pair of jeans is worth every penny… so now I own two pairs of pants instead of 10, and it's pretty fabulous.
How did I not know you were pregnant?! What kind of blogger friend am I?! Congratulations sweet friend! Nobody rocks motherhood like you. I'm so thrilled for you!