Calcium
Most people know that calcium is vital for building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth but this mineral becomes increasingly more important when pregnant, having to build bones, teeth and good health for two people!
While very important for building your baby’s bones and teeth, calcium is also vital for conducting nerve impulses and helps your baby’s (and yours) heart and muscles to function properly.
It also helps prevent eclampsia, which is a serious condition characterized by seizures or coma in a patient with other indications of pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertensive disorders rank high on the list of risks to pregnant women. As shortages of calcium and magnesium tend to lead to these conditions, and other related disorders, it makes sense to keep these two vital nutrients at adequate levels — particularly as modern diets look almost purpose-designed to prevent their ready absorption.
Besides these very important factors, calcium is a natural and very effective painkiller and who wouldn’t want to have less pain, especially during labor?
If you have an adequate calcium intake, along with the factors needed to absorb it, you have a natural painkiller to hand. Make sure your intake is sufficient throughout pregnancy, childbirth and nursing and you will have much less pain plus a calm and happy baby and mom.
Some good food sources of calcium: dairy products, collards, spinach, broccoli, okra, chickpeas, lentils, sweet potatoes, tofu, sardines and many more.
Magnesium Another vitally important mineral is magnesium. Deficiencies can cause extreme irritability, a rapid heartbeat, nervousness, tremors, convulsions, insomnia, insanity, extra sensitivity to noise.
Like calcium, magnesium is necessary in the prevention of pre-eclampsia. A magnesium deficiency could result in spasms in the placenta and umbilical cord. Magnesium will help prevent such spasms by making your muscles relax.
Magnesium intake is also important for the health of your child as it helps him/her to build strong bones and teeth and regulates insulin and blood-sugar levels. Many enzymes also need magnesium to function. Magnesium helps to control cholesterol and irregular heartbeats.
Calcium and Magnesium Work Together
A good balance (2:1 ratio) of calcium gluconate (please note that it should be calcium GLUCONATE and NOT carbonate) and magnesium carbonate is important because these two minerals are both needed with each other in the correct ratio. While magnesium relaxes the muscles, calcium stimulates the muscles to contract.
This rhythmic coordination keeps the mother’s body in check until the baby is ready to be born. Proper levels of magnesium during pregnancy will help prohibit premature uterine contractions. Decreasing levels before time may start premature labor.
Also, in order for calcium and magnesium to be utilized by your body, they need to be have the correct pH balance. Because calcium and magnesium are alkaline, they can’t be absorbed by your body unless they are in some sort of acid base and vitamin C works well for that.
Instant CalMag-C
That’s why we made Instant CalMag-C the way we did.
It’s made of two parts calcium gluconate to one part magnesium carbonate with vitamin C to create the correct pH balance. It’s easy for the body to absorb and, in many cases, the effects can be felt in less than 30 minutes.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this article or e-mail is meant to treat, diagnose, prevent or cure any medical condition. This email and all the information in it is not a substitution for medical care provided by a licensed medical doctor.