Magnesium really is the mineral that can do it all. We need it to support so many of our own body’s functions. From muscle function to energy production to bone and heart health and even mental wellness, supplying our bodies with enough magnesium is one of the best things we can do for our overall health.

This becomes especially true for women during pregnancy. If magnesium has so many benefits for our own bodies, imagine what it can do for a developing baby. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you.

• Fetal Development:
  Magnesium is essential for the formation and maintenance of the fetus’s bones, teeth, nervous system, and heart. Supplementing with magnesium during pregnancy can also reduce the risks of fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure.

• Benefits for Mom:
  Pregnancy often disrupts sleep patterns, leading to increased risks of insomnia. Magnesium supports the production of melatonin, regulating sleep-wake cycles and promoting better sleep during pregnancy. It also helps relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and reduces the occurrence and severity of leg cramps and headaches commonly experienced during pregnancy.
  
  
• Postpartum Support:
  After childbirth, women’s bodies undergo significant stress and hormonal changes, which can lead to postpartum depression. Magnesium can help manage common postpartum issues, from pain management to milk production. It also aids in restoring depleted mineral levels, helping the body recover from pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

In honor of International Women’s Month, we spoke to our founder, Gina Scorza, about her experience with magnesium during pregnancy, women’s health, and how the benefits have changed her health and wellbeing for the better.

Q: Can you take us back to the moment when you were pregnant and discovered magnesium? What were you going through and why did you turn to magnesium?

A: About halfway through my pregnancy I was experiencing restless legs and it was torture. I wasn’t sleeping. I was frustrated. I was exhausted.

I went to an acupuncturist and she told me to buy this magnesium oil and go home and rub it on my legs. That was the first night of my pregnancy that I was able to sleep. I used it every single day and I felt 100 times better. I was sleeping better and I felt my anxiety decrease. It changed my life.

Q: How did you benefit from magnesium at that time and how can other pregnant women and new moms benefit from it?

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for expecting mothers and after birth as well. We don’t produce magnesium on our own. We have to get it from an outside source like our diet or supplements.

It has been shown that it can help moms after birth with postpartum depression, something many women go through and don’t speak about. A lot of times women end up at a doctor who may prescribe them an antidepressant when really they need to get their magnesium levels up.

Think about it – your body is depleted of a mineral that regulates the nervous system and your hormones, you’re not sleeping and not restoring your body, and on top of that, you have to take care of a newborn baby. That’s why restoring your body with essential minerals is one of the best things you can do for your health, mental health, and essentially your baby’s health.

Q: Why do you think so many people are unaware of the benefits of magnesium?

A: I think there’s a lack of education (to no fault of our own) around what our bodies really need. As a society we’re starting to see a new wave of holistic health practices and that’s really exciting. But there’s still a long way to go. 

When you go to a doctor they may not suggest checking your magnesium levels – even though we know 2 out of 3 Americans have a deficiency. That’s why it’s so important to advocate for ourselves and our health. Especially as women. 

Before I began educating myself, I was on migraine medication, anxiety medication, and all different types of prescriptions. Once I balanced my minerals and got what my body needed I was able to get off those medications.

I truly believe that you don’t need all of the pharmaceutical medications to live a healthy life. A lot of us are depleted of minerals and just restoring those minerals can restore our health.