There are so many types of maternity pants. Here’s my view on each:
Low rise (no front closure) – These are by far the most comfortable, I think, because they don’t cause your belly to itch. The problem is that the elastic in the waist band often curls up, twists in weird ways and often ends up flipped inside the band.
Low rise (front closure) – These are the pants with elastic about 75% around and then a button or snap in the front with a zipper. If you wear these in early pregnancy, you definitely don’t look pregnant. The buttons also press into your tummy and end up leaving marks. Also, these fall down a lot too, because they’re are just a little too high, and slide down to the lowest point under your belly.
Natural waist – I don’t have a pair of these, and I don’t know why they would be comfortable at all, they would come right across the middle (aka the BIGGEST part) of your belly and would probably leave ridiculous lines that would be very itchy.
Full panel – These are ok, but my pair from Old Navy have an elastic band in the top, which is itchy and leaves horrible looking marks. They do fit well though, and show your belly off better, as they are smooth to the bikini line and you can wear belly hugging shirts.
Flex panel – These are my favorite because you can roll them down to be low rise, or you can pull them up to be a full panel. The top of these are an elasticy material and don’t have a separate elastic band, so they’re great. The only problem is that they fall down all the time, no matter how I wear them. Also, the top gets stretched out if you wear them rolled down, so you have to wash them before wearing them as a full panel, or it will be too loose and look weird under your shirt.
Basically, there are no perfect maternity pants. Some are better than others, but each have their own flaws. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts about the different types.