Best Maternity Scrubs

The short answer

Why sized-up scrubs fail

It is worth being specific, because “just go up two sizes” is the advice everyone gets.

The pant. A regular scrub pant two sizes up is wider at the hip and thigh and has the same rise, so the waistband still sits across the bump. You end up either pulling it under the bump, where it slides down all shift, or over it, where it cuts in. A maternity knit waist is a different pattern, not a bigger one.

The top. Scrub tops are cut straight, so a bigger one is wider everywhere and barely longer at the front. Over a bump the front hem rides up and the shoulders swim. Maternity tops add front length specifically.

The pockets. Sizing up does not add pockets, and pocket count is one of the few specs on this page that directly affects your shift.

What a twelve-hour shift actually demands

This category is unusual in that the wearer is on their feet for a very long time, in a warm building, in a garment that goes through hot industrial washing repeatedly. That changes what matters.

• Comfort at hour ten, not hour one. A waistband that is fine in the morning and digging in by evening is the commonest complaint. Jogger cuts and knit waists win here.
• Washing durability. Hot washes destroy cheap elastic. A maternity scrub pant from a specialist brand survives a season of that; a budget pair often does not.
• Pockets. Scissors, tape, a phone, a pen, a badge, alcohol gel. Two pockets is not enough and five is not excessive.
• Temperature. Wards swing from cold to overheated, and pregnancy already makes you run hot. Layering with a thin underscrub beats a warmer top.
• Swollen ankles. By the third trimester, a tight cuff is a genuine problem by the end of a shift. That is a real argument against joggers late on, and the NHS lists swollen ankles among the ordinary features of pregnancy.

Dress codes, which decide this before anything else

Check your workplace policy before buying. Some units specify colors, some prohibit joggers or cargo pockets, and some require specific brands. There is no point optimizing for pocket count if the pant is not allowed.

It is also worth asking whether your employer provides or subsidizes maternity uniform — many do, and it is routinely not mentioned unless you ask.

How many do you need?

Two pants and two tops if you have laundry facilities and work a normal rota. Three of each if you work consecutive long shifts or cannot wash frequently.

Plus two or three long underscrubs, which are cheap and get worn more than you expect.

Buy in the second trimester rather than earlier. A maternity scrub pant bought at 14 weeks will be too large for two months and the knit waist will have relaxed by the time you need it most.

How we picked

Six axes: rise and bump room, pocket count, comfort over twelve hours, washing durability, size range and whether it looks professional. Washing durability is weighted higher than it would be for ordinary clothing, because industrial laundering is what separates scrubs that last from scrubs that do not.

We read the current listings and the reported experience; we have not worn these, and we have not worked a shift in them. The method is on how we pick.

Two things worth raising at work

Standing. ACOG and the NHS both encourage activity in pregnancy, but standing still for long periods is specifically harder than moving, and it is a known contributor to back pain and swelling. Whether your role can be adjusted — more seated tasks, more breaks — is a reasonable conversation to have.

Compression socks. If you are on your feet for twelve hours, these do more for how you feel at the end of a shift than any garment on this page. See compression socks for pregnancy.