Disposable absorbent garment having stretchable side waist regions

A disposable absorbent garment includes a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The topsheet, backsheet and absorbent core are assembled together to form a layered assembly including a front region, a back region, and a crotch region disposed between the front region and the back region. The layered assembly has a longitudinal plane that extends substantially centrally through the front, back and crotch regions. Each of the front and back regions further includes a pair of ear portions extending in substantially opposite lateral directions with respect to the longitudinal plane. Further, each of the ear portions includes a layered section of a material layer and a stretchable member extendible between a contracted configuration and an extended configuration. The material layer is secured to the stretchable member when the stretchable member is disposed in an extended configuration and the outside surface of the material layer is disposed in a substantially planar configuration. In this way, the material layer is, thereafter, extendible with the stretchable member from a contracted configuration to an extended configuration wherein its outer surface is returned to its substantially planar configuration.