A friend of mine recently had a baby and paid me a huge compliment by saying my recommendations for maternity, nursing and baby products were spot on. She said, you know, you should start a blog. That got my thinking that I could document my thoughts in my lookfab blog for anyone that has an interest.

When you're nine months pregnant, all most women can think about is having the baby and getting their bodies back. At least that was all I could think about. Little did I know that the whole nursing phase has a lot of its own challenges AND now you have the baby so you are getting even less sleep. Dressing should be comfortable, practical and enjoyable IMO. My philosophy is that all nursing wardrobe items should do double duty, you should be able to wear them even when done nursing OR they should be wearable during pregnancy. I don't subscribe to the philosophy that you need separate items just for the nursing phase that don't work in other phases.

First off, I recommend the Emma bra from Target. This isn't the bra to give you the perfect shape but it is super comfortable and give you a place to put your nursing pads. I love it so much, I even sleep in it. Also, it is high enough that it functions like a camisole or second base under v-neck tops. Read the reviews, they are great. This bra is also great for sleeping or just around the house when pregnant.

Second, it is important to find a comfortable "base" layer. For me, it was my pre-pregnancy leggings (which I just pushed under the belly and wore during pregnancy and post partum) and my maternity camisole. I love the starfish leggings from Lands End. They wear like iron. They have been washed in the regular cycle and put in the dryer every single week for over a year and they still look good (although the black is slightly faded). Amazing. If your climate is warmer, you may prefer shorts or a maxi skirt on bottom.

For the camisole, I swear by the Liz Lange for Target maternity camisole. I loved it so much, I even wore it as my regular camisole after pregnancy. Unfortunately, it appears to be discontinued. I tried the BeMaternity camisole from Target and it was nowhere close to the Liz Lange one. So I don't have a great recommendation for a cami, but having a bunch in neutrals like black, gray and white is essential. If you find those Liz Lange for maternity camisoles somewhere, please PM me.

Next, I recommend a flowy top layer. The Bobeau button cardigan is excellent for this! It provides coverage, warmth and had a fashionable vibe about it. It comes in several colors AND can be worn post nursing in your regular wardrobe as lounge or casual wear. It washes pretty well, again I just machine wash and tumble dry. It comes in so many colors. Sometimes you have visitors or are out and about and forget your nursing cover. With this top, I don't even bother with a nursing cover, even in public. I can't say enough good things about this one.

I also have a few drapey pieces from the Lands End starfish line. Again, they wear well with washes and are non-maternity clothes so they can be used even after the nursing phase.

To finish and give me a little pick-me-up, I wore hunter boot socks with my leggings for that tall boot look in the house. It balances proportions with the leggings and I have a couple bright colors which made me smile. A nice cheerful scarf also works.

I just placed these items in the most accessible spot in my closet and everything matches with everything else so I didn't have to think.

I hope this is helpful to all the pregnant and nursing moms out there! Congrats and best of luck!