Last Updated on February 18, 2024 by Natalie

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With my first baby I got my period back at 7.5 months postpartum.

It caught me by total surprise because although I had recently begun introducing my baby to solids, he was still getting most of his nutrition from breastmilk.

We were just experimenting and letting him try stuff.

About a week before I got my period, I noticed that my boobs felt…emptier.

Not empty but it felt like my baby wasn’t getting everything he wanted out of my leh-dez.

I think my milk must’ve also tasted different because I struggled with getting the baby to breastfeed for more than a couple of minutes before shaking me away.

This had me fearing that the end of my breastfeeding journey was near.

Never fear!

This was just another time when I used my determination to breastfeed to push through and I came out just fine on the other side (read my post on How to Reach Your Breastfeeding Goal here).

My Signs

I knew from about a week before that I was getting my period.

I had vicious cramps (which is actually unusual for me), thick, slippery discharge and bloating.

Typical Signs that Your First Postpartum Period is Coming:

• Thick, egg-white-like discharge
• Cramps
• Constipation

Then there was a sort of psych out.

The bloat went away, I felt…normal.

With the exception of my milk issue.

For maybe a few minutes, I wondered if maybe I wasn’t getting it after all.

Then bam!

I was surprised by the little creep!

I remember learning from Milky Mama IG page that taking calcium and magnesium help with the decrease in milk supply when you get your period.

But how much?  For how long?

I immediately looked into the details of how I can avoid this bump in my breastfeeding journey.

When to Take Calcium and Magnesium

Don’t take it every day.

Take it starting around day 14 of your cycle until day 3 of your next period.

How Much Should You Take?

According to KellyMom, “the recommended calcium supplement dosageis between 500 mg calcium/250 mg magnesium and 1500 mg calcium/750 mg magnesium (the higher dosage is generally more effective).”

The Supplement I Take

I ordered the Nature Made Calcium Magnesium Zinc with Vitamin D3.

As you’ll see, it has 333 mg of Calcium and 133 mg of Magnesium so I take 2 per day (from day 14 of my cycle until day 3 of my period). You can take up to 4 and still stay within that optimal range.

Does it Work?

I’m happy to share that it seems to work just fine.

If you try this, please let me know if this helped you!

Happy breastfeeding!