Breastfeeding Definition: Reverse Cycle Nursing
August 16, 2008 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding
Reverse cycle nursing or “reverse cycling” is when the baby nurses more during the evening hours and less frequently during the day. Sometimes this is a frustrating side effect of a baby having his days and nights mixed up, but other times a mother purposely nurses her baby more often during the evening and overnight hours so that the baby sleeps more and requires less milk during the day while the mother is at work or school. For tips on handling reverse cycling, see Kellymom.com.
We ended up reverse cycling once I went back to work (around 9 months), and it worked well for us, because we also co-sleep. In order to not have to nurse a million times once I went to bed though, we nursed almost non-stop from 500-700, again at 9 and then 1030 when I went to bed (usually). After that he’d sleep a good five or six hours before nursing again.
I’d never heard of this concept – I’m grateful to your site for your range of topics and knowledge. Thanks!
My daughter nursed A LOT more at night once I went back to work. I think it kept me sane and grounded through the change. It was good, too, since I knew that she was getting the same amount of milk, just at a different time.