Nike’s Maternity Line Review: I Tried it All (See How it Went)

Nike makes a maternity activewear collection, and you bet I tried it as soon as I could when I found out I was expecting my second child.

I’m excited to show you all about the Nike maternity styles that both look and feel great, from one of my favorite (and affordable) workout brands.

In this review, you’ll see what I got and what tried on from Nike (M). Then, you’ll learn all about what to expect from buying maternity workout clothing from Nike.

Quick summary: what to know about Nike (M)

• Nike’s maternity collection is great for women like me who want their maternity clothes to reflect on-trend athleisure and athletic styles.
• I found that prices might run a little higher than the “regular” versions of some of the products, like leggings.
• I tried to order my sizes according to my regular Nike clothes sizes, but I found that everything aside from leggings and bike shorts ran big. I had to reorder and size down.
• The styles in the Nike maternity line vary by season, and in my experience, products sometimes are taken down and replaced with new ones as soon as 60 days after debuting.

Why did I try Nike’s Maternity Collection?

For my second pregnancy, I promised myself I’d do “better” at maternity clothes. After all, during my first pregnancy, all my maternity clothes were hand-me-downs and I only bought three pieces. It was pretty cool for figuring out how to avoid buying maternity clothes, and saved me a ton of money.

But did I feel like “myself” as my body was changing and becoming more pregnant? Not really.

So when I found out that Nike made a maternity collection, I was excited. I had just finished celebrating Nike clothes that fit petites and felt like I had “upped” all my athleisure and workout apparel. So if Nike was making maternity versions of my favorite bike shorts and pocket leggings, I said, “Let’s do this.”

What I tried

I really did try everything in the Nike maternity collection—I’m not kidding. I ordered it all at the end of my first trimester, as it was my second pregnancy and I knew I’d need maternity clothes sooner than I did relative to my first pregnancy.

I ordered:

Tops

• Women’s Dri-FIT Slim-Fit Tank Top (Maternity)
• Women’s Dri-FIT Slim-Fit Short-Sleeve Top (Maternity)

Bottoms

• Women’s Gentle-Support High-Waisted 8” Biker Shorts with Pockets (Maternity)
• Women’s Dri-FIT High-Waisted 8” Biker Shorts With Pockets (Maternity)
• Women’s High-Waisted 7/8 Leggings with Pockets (Maternity)
• Women’s Gentle-Support High-Waisted 7/8 Leggings with Pockets (Maternity)
• Women’s French Terry Pants (Maternity)

Spors bras

• Women’s Nursing and Wearable Pump-Compatible Sports Bra (Maternity)
• Women’s Light-Support Lightly Lined Nursing Sports Bra (Maternity)

Hoodies & Pullovers

• Women’s Reversible French Terry Pullover Top (Maternity)
• Women’s Reversible Pullover (Maternity)

Things I ordered previously that went out of stock by the time I wrote this review:

• Maternity jacket (it ran very big)
• Maternity racerback tank (I really like this one)

Other reviews of the Nike (M) maternity collection you may see, like a review from Vogue.com, also mention styles that have since been discontinued, so you can see how fast these styles get shuffled!

How it went

I’ll do a bit of a summary of how each product went for me and what I thought about it when trying it on. I hope you’ll keep in mind that some of these styles seem to be evergreen and won’t change from season to season, but some are seasonal and may be discontinued faster than I can find out!

Tops

I found that all the tops I ordered ran big. That’s no problem. I’m going to exchange them for a size that’s one smaller than the size in which I got them (XS). The styles themselves are fine: the short-sleeve tee is really stretchy and the colors are fresh and nice. As for the tank, I like the more full coverage at the chest, and I’ll use this for layering under sweatshirts or pullovers.

Bottoms

I’m giving five stars to the shorts and leggings from the “high-waisted” and “gentle-support” styles. I have one of each, in a short and a legging.

The difference in the waistbands is pretty significant. The high-waisted styles come up higher in the back, and have a straight-top band in the front, with a dip design toward the bottom of your baby bump.

The gentle-support style is “graceful,” as I’ll describe it. The front has a Nike logo, and can be folded down, if you are looking for the firm support under your baby belly. The back design is like a two-layer “V.” It’s pretty.

I found that the gentle support style might be better for later in pregnancy like third trimester, and the high-waist style may be better for second trimester because ironically, the front doesn’t go up as high (in my experience).

Sports bras

How they fit: I ordered size S and M, because I’m usually in between sizes and I also considered that my body may change throughout the course of my pregnancy, as well as postpartum.

Because all Nike’s maternity bras are also nursing and pumping bras, they have a longer lifespan. They’re stretchy, comfy and supportive during pregnancy when my rib cage may expand (notice the four options for back clasping).

And for days spent nursing or pumping after baby’s arrival, both styles of bras have mesh for absorbing sweat and moisture.

I’ll comment on the racerback Nursing and Wearable Pump-Compatible Sports Bra: I like the sporty design and versatility of this one: I just don’t think the slide-to-release clips are as fast as a single-release traditional nursing bra clip. This seems a little cumbersome for me, having nursed a lot with my first child.

Layers (sweatshirts & pullovers)

Both ran big, so I had to exchange them for one size smaller. Nevertheless, the design of the maternity pullovers from Nike is such that both current styles have flexible openings that can be faced frontward or backward. One pullover has a crew neckline, and the other is a turtleneck.

They’re useful for a growing baby bump from the second trimester into the third, and into postpartum as well. They’re both able to be worn if you’re surviving winter as a new mom and looking for a handy nursing sweatshirt that looks athletic and discreet (but allows for breastfeeding!).

Shoes

Why am I including shoes in the Nike maternity review? Well, there came a point in my last pregnancy when tying my shoes took way too much effort, and I could barely see my feet. So, my solution to that for this time around is: Nike’s sandals and slides.

Specifically, I picked up the Nike women’s mules (with an adjustable Velcro back elastic strap) to put my feet in during my third trimester—whether in the house, or out of the house. I’ll wear them without socks, or with socks: it really won’t matter by that point.

Also, the heel strap is removable, so I can just slide my feet into them. And as they’re pretty lightweight, they can even come in my hospital birth bag.

Overall satisfaction with the Nike maternity line

Despite the products that ran big that I had to reorder, I was immediately elated with all the bottoms (except the terry pants). This means I started wearing the bike shorts the moment they arrived in the mail, and I wore my Nike maternity leggings around the house as soon as those came, the next day.

I do think that Nike could give a bit more guidance on the fit of the products. For example, how could I have known that while I’m always an XS in regular non-maternity Nike tops like tanks, tees and sweatshirts, that all the maternity XS styles would run big? That was surprising. It felt strange to me to need to order XXS, as that’s typically much too tiny for me.

And then with bottoms, the leggings and bike shorts fit true to size. I’m always a S in Nike bottoms like my bike shorts, running shorts and joggers. The maternity leggings and shorts fit great, so I kept those and didn’t have to reorder.

Sizing aside, I like the styles. It’s really hard to find maternity brands that are actually cute, so with Nike, I was hoping for the best because I’ve trusted the company’s quality for so many years. I like the bike shorts, the pocket leggings, the reversible pullovers (they’re useful for nursing, post-birth) and the bras!

I’d recommend the Nike maternity line to any pregnant women who’s having trouble landing on the perfect maternity brand for ordering basic athleisure and athletic styles, at not-too-crazy prices.

A little more about the Nike (M) Maternity Collection

I dove deep into reading about when Nike launched maternity, and it was back in 2020, according to a rave review from Popsugar. A few things have changed, of course, like how I mention above that the styles cycle out and new ones cycle in.

It seems to me that the Nike maternity product line is bigger now than ever before, and that is probably due to popularity and good feedback.

My first experience with the Nike maternity collection (after I had my first child) was with the Nike Diaper bag, an excellent bag that both Dan and I used for months from babyhood to toddlerhood. We review it at Half Half Travel, and you can see it at our Nike Diaper Bag review.

Where to get Nike maternity workout clothes

The best place to get any of Nike’s maternity apparel for working out and lifestyle is at Nike’s website. You can get free shipping over only $50, and 60-day returns.

If that doesn’t work for you, check out the Nike maternity clothing available at Amazon. Although, I have to provide a disclaimer: you won’t find Nike’s entire maternity line there. Currently I’m really only seeing the 7” bike shorts (maternity), nursing pullover (price is actually higher on Amazon, as Nike’s website frequently has sales) and the Pro Mesh maternity tank (discontinued on the Nike website itself).

I’m just saying Amazon is not the best place to be buying Nike products and to get them to verifiably be authentic Nike ones.

You may also find Nike maternity items at DICK’s Sporting Goods. The prices, styles, sizes and available color choices are also likely not to match those on the Nike website 100%.

Final thoughts

One thing to remember is that after you’re done wearing Nike’s maternity line… it’s time to get Nike’s baby shoes or clothes for your baby! The tiny sneakers, onesies, track jackets and sweatpants are just too cute (and iconic). (Pictured: Nike Court Borough Low Recraft for babies)

A big thank you to Nike for providing us with all the apparel, accessories and gear mentioned in this article. While these products were gifts from Nike, all opinions and thoughts are our own.