Overall, I love these pants.  They are extremely comfortable, and the stretchy panel part is more supportive than most belly bands or other pants panels.  I really like these because they are so comfortable.  They're great for yoga, hanging out at home, running chores, etc.  They also look decent enough that you can dress them up a little with a tunic shirt.

I am not a "pants with panel" person -  I generally prefer low-rise pants with a belly band.  However, these pants are the major exception for me.  The panel is plenty large enough to accommodate almost any belly, but you can fold it in whatever configuration you prefer, as they advertise.  I am currently 23 weeks and have definitely popped.  I still have to fold the top of the panel down a few inches, so there is plenty of room to grow.  Part of why I generally don't like other panel pants is that the panel tends to be very short - but that is not a problem with these at all.

As far as why I didn't give these 5 stars...  (1) They are a bit on the expensive side for what they are.  But especially if you get them toward the beginning of pregnancy, I think they're well worth it given their versatility.  I figure I'll have no problem wearing them in the first weeks or months postpartum as well.  (2) The seam on the back of the panel is not their best feature (I feel that they could be redesigned to minimize the seam - I hope they do), but it causes no discomfort for me.  And as I'm not a fan of short maternity shirts anyway, it's not a major detraction for me.

I have not been able to deal with waistbands on my belly very well since the very beginning of my pregnancy, so I appreciate the coverage and support of these pants without waistband pressure points.  I definitely do find them far more comfortable than simply slinging a pair of regular yoga pants lower, or wearing maternity yoga pants that have a waistband on the belly (having done both).

I would definitely recommend these pants for their comfort and versatility, despite the cost, especially if you're newly pregnant and thus will have many months' use out of them.