Maternity & Nursing Wardrobe Staples

The soft fabrics, the stretchy waistbands... what's not to love about maternity and nursing clothes?!? Well, aside from that annoying bit where nothing fits and you have to buy a whole new potato-sack-style wardrobe!

Latched Mama Shirt
& Motherhood Leggings

So I just had a baby in September, and I wanted to share a few of the wardrobe staples that have gotten me through pregnancy and into nursing. I chose not to include a few favorite dresses and shirts that I didn't consider "staples" - more unique pieces, clothes I can't find for sale anymore, etc. And many of the staples I picked work for both maternity and nursing.

A little bit about me that is relevant to my clothing selection:

• I dress business casual most of the week, so I looked for pieces that I could wear casual or dress up for work
• I was due in September, so most of my maternity clothes were needed in spring and summer. Nursing clothes have (so far) been needed in fall and winter
• A more unique challenge I faced was fitting my boobs into clothes - it was bit of a problem for maternity clothes and is now an even bigger problem with nursing wear. All these items seemed to work *reasonably* well in that area
• I am currently 5 months postpartum and definitely still have a little baby belly! I had diastasis recti after labor which I have been rehabbing. So, most of my nursingwear hides the belly

ZUMIY Tank, Free to Live Cardigan
& Talbots Pants

Both Maternity & Nursing:

ZUMIY Tanks
These tanks are AMAZING, and I wish I found them earlier - I actually didn't find until a couple months postpartum. The fabric is nice and thick (not see-through) and the neckline is a nice cut that you can dress up and wear to work. I can't get away with those thin-strapped, built in bra camis so this was a really great option. Great basic colors too, I ended up getting them all (black, white, gray, blue)

Motherhood Leggings
Gotta have a basic black maternity legging! Goes with everything. I didn't really try out other brands, I borrowed these from a friend and was very happy so I stuck with them.

PinkBlush Draped Maternity/Nursing Dress
Beautiful dresses that come in short and maxi styles, I pretty much lived in these throughout the spring and summer of my pregnancy. Perfect for work and everyday wear.

Baby Be Mine Ultrasoft Nightgown/Dress
TREAT YO SELF, for real. This dress is SO soft. Especially if you're nursing in the summer, it is the ideal sleep/loungewear. Mostly I wore it to bed, but it was also great loungewear during the day in my first couple weeks after baby's arrival.

Motherhood Maternity Panties
These high waisted beauties are super comfy. Great for accommodating a big pregnant belly as well as perfect for cradling postpartum wreckage. Had two pairs of these packed in my go bag and wore them home after delivery!

Nursing Specific:

Kindred Bravely Nursing Racerback Sleep Bra
For me, this definitely only works as a sleep bra, though others might be able to get away with daytime wear. It's very comfy, and I was impressed with the fit. Normally S, M, L bras don't work for me because I need an L to fit my bust and S to fit my underbust. KB offers busty sizes and the SB (small busty) fit me perfectly.

Latched Mama Scoop Neck Nursing Top
This comes in a 3/4 sleeve and a tee version. Love the slouchy fit, nice and long over leggings. Super soft, comes in some great colors.

Latched Mama Petal Tank
& Talbots Pants

Free to Live Lightweight Criss Cross Cardigans
Paired with a ZUMIY tank, these have been my go to for work! Comes in long sleeve and short sleeve - I've got some of each. The criss cross style dresses it up while also hiding the belly. They are definitely lightweight though, it is more like wearing a long-sleeved shirt than a sweater.

Cupshe Fashion Wrap Sweater
This is about the only sweater I found that works for nursing. It'll keep you warm on a cold day, but the sleeves roll up and it can be worn open, so you don't die of heatstroke when your hormones kick in and/or you're running around holding a baby.

Latched Mama Petal Front Nursing Lounge Tank
Umm, why does this "lounge tank" fit me better than any regular nursing tank I've tried?! Very comfortable, but also looks good as an everyday or even dress shirt. I 100% plan to dress this up for work with a cardigan and my fake "slacks" that you'll hear about next.

Talbots Everyday Straight Leg Yoga Pant
I'll be honest, if I just saw the picture of these on Talbots' website, I would not in a million years have bought them. They look like pants one might wear to the country club to play bridge with their retired friends. The yoga pants name is equally misleading. Who is doing yoga in these? They are designed for more of a strolling through the park activity level. But anyway, my mom saw them in the store and got them for me knowing I'd want some stretchy waistband pants postpartum, and they really look and feel great! They are slightly stretchy but look like actual work pants, not leggings/yoga pants. They've become my go-to work pants and I have 3 pairs.

Husband took this behind the back
while messing around taking my photos,
just thought it looked cool!

And the clothing item that was impossible for me to find was *drum roll please* a bathing suit! First of all, OMG, how are maternity tankinis so unsupportive? I ended up having to buy a regular bra-sized bikini top (non-maternity) and some maternity bottoms and just let the bump fly free in all its glory.

I'm currently exploring options to rent nursing clothes through Le Tote and other subscription services - I'll keep you posted on how that works out! I'm also still looking for recommendations on great items! What were your maternity & nursing wardrobe staples??