Being pregnant is undeniably an exciting time in a woman’s life. Whether you’re experiencing it for the first or fifth time, pregnancy reminds us of how precious, strong, and resilient our bodies are. It has always been important for us to support women; all women, of all shapes and sizes. This absolutely includes our mummas-to-be.
When we tell our pregnant friends that a single pair of tights can see you through an entire pregnancy and all the way through postpartum, they rarely believe us. But the truth is, even a RF team member, Chantelle has managed to do this. Chantelle gained 32 kilos throughout the course of her third pregnancy and managed to stay in the same size tights the whole way. Before. During. After. Unreal, right?!
Like most things in life, a lot of this is down to personal preference and experience. We know that each body and pregnancy is unique (which is what makes it so beautiful!). At the end of this blog there are several recounts from our mummas who used our products throughout their pregnancy, we hope this sheds some light for you. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send us an email at info@runfastergear.com.au or jump on FB and ask us there! We’re always happy to help.
Before.
If you’ve been a fan of Run Faster for a while, you’re probably more than aware that we place a lot of emphasis on providing the best products possible. We pride ourselves on our meticulous attention to detail and quality control. When you buy a product from us, you can expect it to go the distance (literally and figuratively!).
During.
Within the first weeks of pregnancy, you’re probably navigating your way through hormonal surges rather than your wardrobe. And if you personally show a bump earlier or later, being able to grow comfortably into your new shapes with ease takes the pressure off having to constantly purchase new attire.
It’ll come without surprise that your body is going to change exponentially throughout this time. And knowing you have staples in your wardrobe already to see you through will be a big relief. If you prefer a higher level of coverage, the high waist options are ideal as normally, they will sit above your belly button. As your bump continues to grow, there is adequate room to maintain a high level of support and skin cover. Or, you can choose to fold the band in half and have strong support below the belly. If you prefer this day-to-day, a mid-waist option will be the winner.
After.
Because our materials are ultra-stretchy and have a high-level of shape retention, it won’t matter whether you’re in Week 40 of pregnancy or Week 1 Post-Partum, the same pair of tights will hold their shape and firmness, supporting you in all the right places. This is the only post-partum ‘bounce-back’ philosophy we support! Plus, there’s no need to go out and purchase maternity specific activewear when your favourite pre-pregnancy tights do it all.
Material and fit.
Signature
Supplex provides a firm fit while still being ultra-stretchy and supportive. It’ll stretch with your bump as you continue to grow but will retain its original shape once the baby comes and your body changes again, giving your core nice support postpartum. Wearing this fabric if you live in cooler climates or will be pregnant through the Winter months will keep you nice and warm, too. (Don’t worry, you can still wear Supplex tights in Summer!).
Active Swim
If you’re looking for a fit that feels as though you’re wearing nothing at all, Active Swim is a great option. Active Swim is an ultra light-weight material with a soft and silky touch. It’s wonderful during the warmer months or you’re experiencing a Summer pregnancy as it is highly resistant to seawater and chlorine, meaning you can jump straight in the pool or ocean without needing to change. It’s SPF50+ and it dries super quick - great for sweat or swimming!
Perform
Perhaps you might be after something in between, this is where Perform comes in. Perform (also called Emana®) is a mid-weight material that has the firmest fit with a cool touch and a soft, smooth and silky feel. It’s supportive post-partum when you might require more compression or stability around your core. The Emana® material is also said to improve skin elasticity and reduce muscle fatigue.
We’ve found that some women prefer a firmer fit on the belly for support (Emana®), whereas others prefer the material to be more stretchy while still having a firm feel (Signature). Some women have found that Emana®, because it’s more firm, didn’t see them the whole way through the pregnancy particularly if they had a larger bump. Whereas we have seen that Supplex various times serve our ladies before, during, after pregnancy. Also remember that if you don’t like it too tight, there is always the option to size up. If you think that will be too large for you after the birth, then you can always jump on our Facebook group and resell (brilliant!). Again, a lot of this is down to personal experience and preference.
Every body is unique, and we love to help women find their perfect fit - whether it’s length, stretch, fabric. So when a woman’s body is continuously changing throughout a 9-month pregnancy period, knowing our products can support them makes us so happy.
Hear from our loyal customers about their experience during pregnancy...
I wore my black 3/4 in a medium all the way through my pregnancy and still wear them now. I could wear either a small or medium depending on the tights. This was at my 50th parkrun at 32.5 weeks. They maintained their support and stayed up when running and post baby and c section were fabulous. I wore this exact pair yesterday to the gym and that baby bump is over 3 years old now.
- Shellie Grieve
About 32 weeks pregnant with baby 3. I wore the same size small the whole way through, the high waist was amazing for extra bump support. Love that I still wear the same ones now post baby.
- Natasha Littler
I wore mine the whole way through pregnancy and still wear them today (back at pre-baby weight). They were awesome for supporting the belly. I taught Body Attack and RPM pretty much the whole way through and they really helped provide more support for my back.
- Chelsea Lane
I wore my L Black Beauties high waist until around 20 weeks, but then they started to slide down under my bump, which I find puts pressure in the wrong spots. Before babies I was a size 10/12, now a 12/14. My babies were both very large so my belly was very round and forward so I guess that’s why they never stayed up? But post caesars, these were my favourite pants to wear. Supportive and the best material.
- Natalie Murphy
The high waist is a must!! I much preferred the supplex of the black, towards the end my leopard print would roll down whereas the supplex did not. I was 60kg pre-pregnancy and would wear a small, but I generally gain A LOT of pregnancy weight so wore a medium whilst pregnant and got up to 80kg. I am back to 69kg now and still wearing the medium in supplex material. I am sticking with high waist as its been excellent support post c-section.
- Kat Sliwinski
I stayed the same size throughout my whole pregnancy (photo about is 7.5 months pregnant) and I still found the tights very comfortable.. maybe a little bitey in the elastic towards the end but pretty good for the most part. I loved the high waist (I still do with my Mum tum) because it provided additional support and being heavily pregnant in summer, the long shorts were absolutely amazing!! I used the shorts for Zumba until 34 weeks and parkrun...plus wore them underneath my dresses to limit the chafing!
- Hayley Shannon Tyler
Have a question about the right fit for you? Shoot us an email at info@runfastergear.com.au and we’ll happily steer you in the right direction.