OY! KRISTEN

Outfit Details:
Pink Blush Cami Dress, Anthropologie sandals (last season, similar here and here), Stella & Dot earrings (sold out, similar here and here), Covet Letter Necklace

Nursing a baby is a job. It's such an incredible privilege, one that I don't take for granted. I love that I am able to nourish my baby and care for his needs, but I would be lying if I said it was always so easy. Nothing about having a baby is easy. It's hard work, and breastfeeding certainly takes it's toll on my body. It often feels inconvenient. But in moments where I feel the frustration of being tethered to him, I remind myself that not everyone is able to fulfill their desire to breastfeed their children. I am so blessed to share this season of being so connected to my son, but I want everyone to know that no matter how they are able to feed their babies, fed is best. It's such an honor to nurture these precious little people however we are able to, whether it's with our bodies or with formula or with a combination. Everything that we as mothers pour into them physically and emotionally will produce who they become and that is such a sobering, humbling realization. And however we are able to nourish them is absolutely, completely wonderful and a life-changing investment for them.

That being said, I'm continuing with my Milk Friendly series and sharing another simple little trick up my sleeve when it comes to getting dressed to go out of the house with a nursing baby. When I'm online shopping, I often scan the "dresses" category of a website to look for dresses exactly like this Pink Blush dress shown in the pictures - something cami-style, with a v-neck and spaghetti straps. The reason why this kind of dress is so perfect for breastfeeding is because you can easily wear a strapless bra or bralette and easily pull down the straps when you need to feed your little one. But I also love how versatile this dress is and how it can be styled a bunch of different ways - with a long skirt over it so the top looks like a tank, with an oversized sweater over it so the dress looks like a skirt, with a threaded kimono worn over it or with cropped jeans under it - the possibilities are endless! You will seeing me wear this dress a lot this fall, because the rust color is perfect for the changing season and there is so much that can be worn with it. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Pink Blush has previously been known for its maternity clothes, but they carry so many other cute style that are for everyday life (and also nursing-specific) and I love that they are always including fresh trends for the season, so that this journey of motherhood doesn't have to be a frumpy one. Hurray for cute styles and clothes that make us feel relevant!

P.S. - You can see my other nursing-friendly essentials like the tunic tee and the kimono.

Featured Piece:

Pink Blush Rust Floral Button Front Dress

Thanks to my friends at PinkBlush for sponsoring this post and sending me the product. All opinions expressed are my own.

Outfit Details:
Free People We The Free Charleston Tee, Target Mossimo Supply Racerback Tank, Free People Bralette (similar here and here), Free People Roll Crop Jeans, Puma Classic Suede Sneakers, Mama and Little Nicole Necklace in Sweet Mint (use code KRISTEN for 10% off!)

I am so excited about this series. Styling, nursing-friendly clothes are seriously under-represented in women's fashion. As a mom of a 7-month little boy, I am constantly rifling through my closet and trying to find things that I can wear out and about while still looking relatively cute and put-together. Most of my tops are off-limits - they're too silky (hi, let's show all the drool shall we?), too high-neck (how to access the boobies?), too low-cut (too much cleavage with these milk monsters), too tight (because I am not back to my pre-pregnancy weight) - so seriously, what's a girl to wear??

It's complicated.

I wish I could say that I can make all my current clothing work for nursing, but that's just not the case. I've had to shop. I nursed my first son Everett for 16 months, and that entire time I was always on the hunt for clothes that worked for that season of life. Now that I'm back on this milk train with Daxton, I have more of a grid for what to shop for and how to make nursing-friendly clothes relatively stylish. Because lets be honest, most of what is on the market for pregnant and lactating mamas is just frumpy. But not all! There are ways to piece together a cute and practical outfit. Over the course of this month, I'm going to share a series of looks that work for nursing mamas. And today I'm starting with one of my most-worn essentials - the tunic tee!

I love wearing tops like this one because it's basically like wearing a gigantic tee shirt - only prettier and softer. It's easy to layer this kind of look with a nursing tank underneath (I have this tank in about 10 colors) or even just a simple bralette like this. I love a lot of the Free People tees because they have some unique cuts up the side (making it a little easier to nurse), and you can either pull the top down or pull your shirt up - these tunics make it easier to do either. But I will say that most of my Free People tops are kind of delicate (even the cotton-blends), so I wash them on gentle and cold cycles. Just FYI :)

During the month of August, I will be sharing 6 different essentials for nursing mamas! I'm really excited to share because I've spent a lot of time hunting for the types of clothes that seem to work best - other than just straight up nursing tops.

Featured Piece:

We The Free Charleston Tee - Free People (on sale now!)

Tell me, what is your biggest struggle with nursing clothing? Do you feel like there are things that "hold you back" from being your most comfortable self when it comes to what you wear during this stage of motherhood? I'd love to hear from you mamas!