I Wore These Lululemon Leggings Through My Entire Pregnancy

Photo credit: ruben chamorro
Photo credit: ruben chamorro

From Cosmopolitan

I'd categorize myself as pretty fit before I got pregnant back in 2018, so I thought I'd be one of those people who'd be able to do a CrossFit or HIIT class with no problem. ALOL. Instead, as soon as I was six weeks along, I couldn't even breathe after walking up 10 steps from the subway platform to the street. All I wanted do to was drink ginger ale and go to bed at 6pm. Ah, the things no one tells you before you get pregnant.

Once the second trimester hit, though, I instantly started to feel better, and I could begin to mentally wrap my head around hitting the gym. But when I went to slip on a pair of my stretchiest yoga pants before my Ballet Beautiful session, they did. Not. Fit. I thought my spandex pants would have coddled my belly; instead, I felt like they were cutting off my circulation. WTF do I do now? I thought.

Post workout, I immediately asked our fitness editor for help. I explained my dilemma, and she told me I had to try Lululemon's Align Pant II leggings.

She'd heard from other pregnant women that they're known for subtly stretching with their growing bellies. I was a little skeptical but also desperate and down to try anything.

I excitedly ripped open the package to examine the leggings when they arrived a few days later, but they kinda looked like regular ol' yoga pants. I couldn't figure out why they were so magical—until I put them on that night. Turns out, my colleague WAS RIGHT. Here's why:

1. They're SO insanely soft.

If you've yet to become pregnant, spoiler alert: Your skin might itch like crazy, so the last thing you want lying on your belly is a scratchy pair of yoga pants. But this material is beyond anything I've ever slipped on before. It's made from Lululemon's sweat-wicking, trademarked Nulu fabric that is "buttery-soft," as the website touts, and they're not fucking around. The leggings are legit so comfortable.

2. They're lightweight and high-rise.

This means they feel like air (AKA barely there), and the waistband is like a built-in belly band that offers your bump the support it needs. Said band also doesn't dig into your skin, leaving behind a lateral indentation like an equator line across your torso. Instead, the fabric gently hugs you and shapes to your body. Even when I was nine months pregnant, the pants STILL fit like a perfectly tailored, not-too-tight glove.

3. They still look brand new.

Photo credit: Carly Cardellino
Photo credit: Carly Cardellino

After countless workout classes, I've washed these pants a ton, and they've retained their vibrant black hue and soft-to-the-touch feel. Just machine wash them with like fabrics in a cold, gentle cycle, and lay them flat to dry.

Pregnant or not, I can't recommend these workout pants enough, and neither can other women: Since documenting my workouts on IG, other previously or currently expecting moms have DM'd me to rave about how they won't wear any other legging. The pair also happens to have more than 3,500 5-star reviews from other customers on the site.

And if there's one thing I've learned from being pregnant, it's to consider (and take) the advice of moms when they tell you the same thing en masse—because they know WTF they're talking about.

Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro
Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro

You Might Also Like