Nike's First Maternity Collection Is Finally Here, and I Put It to the Test

theI’d like to begin by apologizing to my workout clothes. For the past eight months, I have pushed my gear to its limits, and not in the way that you might expect. I can’t help but feel bad for my once favorite leggings and trusty sports bra, which will undoubtedly never bounce back.

Here’s the thing: I’m currently 35 weeks pregnant, and it’s been incredibly difficult for me to find maternity activewear that fits comfortably while I lunge, spin, and squat while also looking stylish. As a result, I’ve resorted to squeezing into my prepregnancy workout gear as much as a pregnant woman can. My workout clothes have not only been stretched out to oblivion, but it has also left me pretty uncomfortable during my workouts. In fact, most of the time, you’ll probably find me half-naked on my Peloton because nothing fits.

Lucky for me and my ever-growing bump, there is a solution: Nike (M), Nike’s first dedicated maternity collection, which launches Sept. 17. The collection consists of four essentials — a sports bra, a pullover jacket, a tank, and a tight — all meant to adapt to a woman’s changing body before, during, and after pregnancy. You might be thinking, Nike didn’t already have a maternity collection? What took them so long? According to the brand, it really wanted to get this right. Over the last three years, Nike has worked with 30 female athletes, including Alex Morgan and Michelle Wie, who were either pregnant or postpartum, to develop this line and ensure their needs and wants were covered.

Nike didn’t just want to create a maternity line that fit your bump. It wanted to bring their sport science to maternity apparel with an emphasis on performance and style. So, the team that worked on the line — which was also made up of moms and moms-to-be — collected data from more than 150,000 body scans of women around the world to see how a woman’s body truly grows throughout pregnancy. In the process, it tested 70 materials before landing on the ones it’d use across the four styles. Not only was Nike committed to using fabric that supported and adapted to the body, but it was also committed to sustainability. The tight, tank, and pullover are made with majority recycled polyester.

While this all sounded great to me, I wouldn’t be totally convinced until I tried the collection for myself. I’m no Serena Williams, but like I said, I have been keeping active throughout my pregnancy and decided to put Nike (M) to the test. Here’s what I thought.

This article was originally published by Popsugar.com. Read the original article here.