Pregnancy is a critical period for all women who go through it, whether the pregnancy is regular or high-risk. During the average nine months span of pregnancy, your body goes through many changes, many of which remain unseen by others. You’ll experience headaches, cramps, and frequent urination in early pregnancy. Besides these, the hormonal chaos that your body goes through and changes in blood volume can be significant. Along with those changes, your body can become depleted of vital minerals and nutrients, like calcium. To ward off this depletion, obstetricians prescribe calcium supplements for pregnant women.
We know that calcium is vital for regular maintenance of the body, but what are the benefits of calcium supplements during pregnancy? Before answering that question, we must understand why calcium is vital during pregnancy.
Why is calcium vital during pregnancy?
It is clear that calcium is vital for the normal functions of our bodies. But when it comes to pregnancies, the need for ample calcium levels in the body becomes critical. During pregnancy, calcium strengthens your body and contributes to your baby’s development; calcium enables the baby’s heart and nerve development, muscle growth, and rapid growth of bones and teeth.
Your body needs calcium much more than before, as you’re eating and breathing for two. This is because your body will take what calcium reserves you have and supply it to the baby. So, if your diet is already deficient in calcium, then that can cause damage to your body. And as the pregnancy progresses, so will the requirement for calcium.
So that defines why calcium is vital during pregnancy. Now, let’s move on to understanding the calcium requirements during pregnancy and the benefits of increased intake of calcium through supplements.
Benefits of calcium supplements during pregnancy
We’ve learned that calcium is doubly vital during your pregnancy. But we are also aware that calcium intake through our modern diet is woefully low for regular body functions, let alone for pregnancies. So, the best option left for you is to boost your intake with calcium supplements. That is why obstetricians prescribe calcium supplements during pregnancies.
And in case your pregnancy is considered high-risk, then the need for an increased level of supplementation is vital. The prenatal vitamins that your obstetrician already prescribed to you contain varying calcium levels. But these levels may not be enough to cover the deficiency in case of a high-risk pregnancy. And as the recommended daily supplementation level can range between 1500 mg to 2000 mg for a regular pregnancy, adding calcium supplements to your daily intake besides the prenatal vitamins becomes necessary in case of a high-risk pregnancy.
A good example of an effective supplement is Totally CALCIUM®. Totally CALCIUM® is a great source of absorbable calcium that is flavorless and colorless. So, adding it to your diet is easy and won’t lead to nausea or stress.
Conclusion
A healthy, well-balanced diet is necessary during pregnancy, and complementing it with calcium supplements can work wonders, especially in the case of a high-risk pregnancy. And this is precisely the reason why obstetricians prescribe calcium supplements for pregnant women.
