Having emerged relatively unscathed from swimsuit buying season, thanks to a suprisingly decent Speedo one piece from Costco, there is no way to avoid it: this year I MUST get some new jeans.

I have never been a huge fan of buying jeans, an issue which has been magnified 1,000 times since giving birth. Since then, I have bought jeans every year to match my changing body shape, being careful to steer clear of anything resembling the classic Saturday Night Live Mom jeans skit. At first I thought I was alone in this struggle, but then I started noticing threads popping up on my mama lists. Moms would buy the Sweetheart, only to realize that all afternoon they were preoccupied with pulling up their pants. Some would resign themselves to yoga pants, swearing off jeans entirely.

A lot of this can be attributed to the low rise phenomenon — what Mom ISN’T bending over a zillion times a day and potentially exposing undergarments…or worse. When you barely had time for breakfast, it’s unlikely you grabbed a belt, either.

One year I hear about Zafu, and decided to give it a try. The way it works is that you go through an online questionnaire describing your jeans “issues” and in just three minutes — voilá! Zafu produces a list of jeans that best suit your body type. But I was skeptical. I need to try on jeans in person, as painful as that can be.

Locally, there is Hem, which calls itself a “jeans bar”. Located near downtown, Hem is a place you can sip on a glass of wine while staff can help you find the perfect pair of jeans. Based on the reviews on Yelp, many customers are happy with their purchases, but I just don’t have money in the budget for designer jeans.

I’m toying with the idea of a trip to the Round Rock outlets, my first outlet trip in years. But the idea of going right before the holidays is a bit frightening.

Any suggestions of places to go? Any brands or styles that you love since becoming a mom?

Written by: Nicole Basham