Several obstacles prevent women, especially mothers, from participating in sports. Exercise equipment with poor design shouldn’t be one of them. This is why Nike is releasing Nike (M), the company’s first maternity line.

Any woman, whether Alex Morgan or a casual yoga student, shouldn’t have to stop exercising while pregnant (as long as she wants to and her doctor has given the go-ahead). However, the scarcity of maternity exercise clothing alternatives would suggest otherwise. Pro golfer Michelle Wie West says, “I wanted to work out and feel nice, but I was trying to squeeze into my old clothes, and I didn’t feel wonderful. She was unhappy when she returned from Hawaii, where she had gone shopping, with nothing to wear for her second-trimester workouts. “I felt so empowered—I felt unique,” she adds, “when I found out that Nike was dedicating a complete range only for maternity gear.” “I didn’t need to attempt to make something work around clothing. I knew that each item in the line had been created with me in mind. And it felt incredible.

To put the viewpoint of pregnant women front and center, the four-piece collection debuts on September 17 and was created in conjunction with 30 pregnant and postpartum athletes, including Morgan and Wie West. According to Nike’s senior creative director of clothing innovation Carmen Zolman, “We put the same force and power behind this collection as we put behind any of our other great athletic events” (M). This is Nike’s whole force operating on an even playing field.

When Alysia Montao, Allyson Felix, and Kara Goucher exposed Nike’s lack of maternity benefits while sponsored athletes, the company received negative press in 2019. The company then standardized its standards to ensure that every athlete would receive a minimum of 18 months of waived fines for performance declines. The introduction of Nike (M) further solidifies a dedication to pregnant athletes. 

Morgan, who trained throughout her pregnancy to be ready for the Tokyo Olympics before they were postponed, is “extremely impressed with the fact that Nike is having a maternity line—one it’s of those areas that weren’t paid attention to.”

Throughout pregnancy and postpartum, each item in the Nike (M) collection is made to swell and shrink with a woman’s body. The Nike design team was able to grasp better how the body develops and changes thanks to information from more than 150,000 body scans of women. For Wie West, that alone was a game-changer: You are not required to try on clothes and wonder, “Oh, does it fit me? I had to wear a size large, oh no. She says that I don’t enjoy not fitting into my clothes and not feeling like myself; maybe it’s stupid. Mentally, knowing that I am wearing clothing the same size as I was previously helped me feel like myself.

The capsule comes with ultra-stretchy high-waist leggings, a tank top, a cover-up, and a nursing-friendly sports bra.

 Morgan claims she “lived in the leggings” in her seventh or eighth month of pregnancy. “Sizing up was difficult when wearing shorts for exercise because I had to tuck them in so low around my belly. Therefore, the leggings were useful.

If Zolman had to choose a favorite item, it would be the four-way stretch tank top because it doesn’t have any obvious ruching on the belly as most maternity clothes do. Wie West explains, “When I originally got it, I was like, Okay, this is a normal tank top—I don’t get how this is maternity. Then I put it on and thought, ‘Oh my God, this is great.’ The material felt like my skin and just grew with me.

The Nike (M) line is made to take you from pregnancy to postpartum, as seen by the sports bra. The wrap-style bra has an adjustable band, materials that drain away sweat, and an interior panel that can hold a nursing pump. Wie West explains that you can alter the size because, after you start breastfeeding, you may experience ten different bra sizes in a single day.

Like other breastfeeding-friendly garments, the pullover has an open flap that is the ideal cover for pumping or nursing—additionally, pockets—an uncommon luxury in athletic apparel. According to Zolman, there was a never-ending discourse between mothers and mothers-to-be who always required a helping hand. When juggling managing herself, her sport, and her family, “a simple thing like clever pockets ensures she always has somewhere extra to stow whatever she needs.”

Functional fitness equipment is crucial, but more billion-dollar businesses that support pregnant women would be game changers. “In the postpartum time, nothing is about ‘How are you feeling?’ and everything is on the baby. How is your physical state? How is your mental health? What’s your sleeping like? Morgan opined. “Having businesses support me along the process is crucial because it gives me a chance to heal properly. To take my time, feel supported, and not feel alone.

According to Zolman, that is precisely what Nike wants to accomplish with Nike (M). “We’re just going to keep listening, learning, and removing all of those obstacles that prevent women from being active, in leadership positions, and excelling in sports,” the author said.