Some women swear by maternity clothes, claiming that they’re so comfortable that they wish they could wear them long after they’re pregnant.

I do not ascribe to this view.

Pregnancy websites attempt to persuade women to start shopping for maternity clothes in their first trimester. By the second trimester, these sites claim that even if a woman doesn’t need to wear maternity clothes, she’ll probably feel better if she does. Talk about pressure to conform and spend even more money while you’re pregnant!

I just entered the third trimester, and I’ve worn maternity pants on four separate occasions. Total.

Why haven’t I wanted to wear maternity clothes? For the simple reason that I haven’t found them to be comfortable at all!

See, maternity pants have a layer of fabric that go over your belly. The extra material just makes your mid section look bigger and doesn't fall inconspicously under any tops. Why would I want to accentuate that area more? And, since I'm tall, if I wear maternity pants over my belly, they look like they're cropped above my ankles.

Maternity Leggings

On vacation two weeks ago, I wore maternity pants one day on the trip. That was the only day I received comments from people at the hotel about being pregnant. Let's do a photo recap to help prove my point.

My shirt falls naturally over my bump while I'm playing tourist.

Two days later, wearing the same top in a different color with maternity pants underneath. See how the top of the pants draws more attention to the belly? I also had discomfort in my low back after only a few hours since the material is confining. (I didn't do as much walking on this day either. It really was just the pants!)

For those of you who find maternity pants to be comfortable, great! Do — and wear — what works for you! Likewise, I appreciate that some women want to draw attention to their baby bumps. I'm just not one of them. For now, I'll keep my eyes out for the few brands of low-rise maternity pants on the market and continue to wear the few non-maternity pants that still fit for as long as I can.