Pregnancy is a time of change. Your body changes daily as it accommodates your growing baby and your growing belly. All your organs shift creating room for your little one to grow, and your hormones rage daily (and continue to do so) until many months postpartum. That’s a lot to deal with! All of these changes in your body can create different issues. Skin problems, anxiety, constipation, trouble sleeping, aches and pains in your joints, and memory issues are just a few of the issues you might experience. Believe it or not, there’s something you can take to help ease the effects of all these issues! Enter: Magnesium. There are many different kinds of magnesium, and today we are going to discuss what options may help you best.
Many women suffer in silence because they don’t realize that taking a magnesium supplement daily can help relieve almost all of their aches and pains. Joint pain, trouble sleeping, constipation, forgetfulness, feelings of anxiety, skin problems; they can all result from a magnesium deficiency. Everyone’s body is different, so a deficiency may or may not be your specific issue. Be sure to always run things by your medical provider before you take anything new. They may have a suggestion on what you can take to best support your body specifically.
There are many forms of magnesium you can take. Let’s go over a few different forms so you can decide which one best suits your needs! (This is not a full list of every form of magnesium, only a few that apply to some common pregnancy ailments).
Digestion/Constipation
Magnesium citrate is best known for its ability to help ease constipation and aid in your digestion. It works by pulling more water into your digestive tract to keep things moving smoothly and ease constipation. Magnesium citrate dissolves easily in water, so it can be found in powder, capsule, and liquid forms. It also absorbs easily into the bloodstream and bodily tissues.
Some laxatives actually contain magnesium citrate, that’s how effective it can be! This is something you want to be careful with. Don’t take too much too often or your body could become reliant on it to help you go to the bathroom regularly. You can also become dehydrated if you take too much, so definitely keep your doctor or midwife in the loop when taking this particular form of magnesium.
Sleeping Issues
Not only is magnesium citrate, helpful for digestion, but it can also help with sleep. The reason for this is, going to the bathroom is your body’s way of ridding your body of toxins. If your body is not able to rid itself of the toxins, (ie pooping regularly) your body is going to be overwhelmed and your sleep is going to be thrown off.
Magnesium Glycinate (or glycerophosphate) is also great for sleep! Not only will it help calm your mind, but it can also help make you calm, relaxed, and tired in general. It is also typically safe to take along side of magnesium citrate, because glycinate has the lowest rate of giving you diarrhea.
Magnesium glycerophosphate is a natural stress reliever and anxiety reducer. So taking it if you feel anxious or depressed, can help relieve your body of some of those feelings. Some people can’t sleep because of their stress and anxiety, magnesium glycerinate may help reduce your feelings of anxiety and help you sleep.
Muscle Cramps/Restless Legs
Muscle cramps, twitches, tremors, and restless legs can all be the result of a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency can be caused by excess calcium in your nerve cells, causing tissues in your muscle and joints to get overly excited. These issues can be easily reduced by a combination of magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium orotate, and magnesium ascorbate. These can also each be taken separately, but a combination such as this one is ideal.
Memory Issues
When you’re pregnant, your body takes what it needs from the stores in your tissues to give your baby what it needs to grow. This includes your muscles and fatty tissues, such as your brain. This is where the term “Pregnancy Brain” comes from, and explains why you sometimes feel like you can’t remember anything. Taking magnesium L-threonate is a great way to combat your memory issues. L-threonate is basically pure brain food and can have a positive effect on your memory, cognitive function, and even your ability to learn new skills. Not only will taking magnesium L-threonate benefit you, but it will also benefit your growing baby. What better way to feed your baby’s growing brain than to feed him pure brain food?
Skin Issues
Pregnancy is a time when your skin either glows or feels like you’re going through puberty all over again. Acne, dry skin, overly oily skin, weird redness, random itching. It’s all related to hormonal shifts, rising and falling cortisol levels, and your body focusing on making a baby rather than doing its best for your face. Guess what? There’s a magnesium for that! Magnesium citrate can help stabilize hormonal imbalances, lower cortisol levels, and improve your cellular processes. Which means it can help make your skin brighter and more clear!
Magnesium glycinate is an anti-inflammatory, which means it can also help with lowering your cortisol levels, as well as reduce the puffiness and swelling associated with pregnancy.
Best Forms of the Different Types of Magnesium
Magnesium Citrate
Magnesium L-threonate
Magnesium Glycinate/Glycerophosphate
Magnesium Orotate
Magnesium Ascorbate
Over 75% of the population experience some type of magnesium deficiency during their lifetime. Ideally, we should be getting our magnesium through food sources. But, nowadays, our food is greatly depleted of nutrients and supplementation is sometimes necessary. Pregnant women are even more susceptible to magnesium deficiency. Therefore, my opinion is that you should talk to your medical provider about supplementing magnesium when needed. This blog post can help you connect the dots on which magnesiums you think you should be taking, but be sure to run all magnesium forms and dosages by your doctor or midwife before trying them.
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