You likely are aware of how important magnesium is during your pregnancy, but what about taking magnesium postpartum?

Once you give birth, you are still “eating for two” in a sense if you breastfeed, which means these same deficiencies you experienced during your pregnancy may come to fruition after birth as well. 

And, magnesium is essential in treating a serious condition after birth - postpartum preeclampsia. It can also help with a frustrating condition known as breastfeeding aversion. Finally, many women take magnesium to combat postpartum depression.

We’ll cover all this and more throughout the rest of this article. But first, let’s quickly refresh your memory on why you need this mineral throughout your pregnancy.

Most pregnant women do not get enough magnesium. This essential mineral does a number of things to improve your pregnancy, including:

• Help you sleep
• Improve digestion
• Ease constipation
• Increase mental focus and energy
• Eases painful leg cramps and restless leg syndrome

But magnesium does so much more than just this. When you supplement with magnesium, you round out your diet and provide not just yourself, but your baby, with a versatile nutrient. There are plenty of nutritionists around the world that feel magnesium is actually the most important nutrient you can get.

If magnesium can help with all of these things during your pregnancy, why would you stop taking it afterwards?

Sure, your body may return to a slightly more normal state once you give birth. But, you’re only going to become busier and more frazzled now that you actually have to care for your little one.

So, you may still benefit from taking magnesium postpartum. It will help you get deep, restful sleep after a crazy day running errands while trying to raise a child. It will also help relax your tight muscles after a strenuous day of carrying your baby around everywhere you go. Magnesium still does all of the things that drew you to take it in the first place! But, there are even more reasons to take it now that you are in full mom-mode. Here are some of the many things magnesium can alleviate once you give birth.

One reason many women take magnesium after giving birth is to combat postpartum depression. Sometimes referred to as the baby blues, this is a very common disorder in new mothers. It can start within 2-3 days of delivery, and can last for weeks, months, or when it turns into something more serious, even longer. Left untreated, postpartum depression can transition into full blown depression.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, and difficulty bonding with your baby. Many of these are signs of depression in general.

Studies show that a severe deficiency in magnesium can lead to postpartum depression. By keeping your magnesium levels nice and high, through delivery and into the first few days of motherhood, you can lower your chances of postpartum depression. This is likely due to the relaxing, calming attributes of magnesium. In general, magnesium plays a huge role in the treatment of depression - postpartum is no different!

Breastfeeding is a magical experience, and a chance to bond with your baby early on. So, you can understand how devastating it would be if you had adverse feelings or thoughts when it came to breastfeeding. 

Breastfeeding aversion and agitation is a case where for no particular reason you experience negative thoughts and/or unpleasant sensations. The frustrating part is that many women who suffer truly want to breastfeed their child.

Studies have shown that one reason to take magnesium postpartum is because it helps with a common issue new mothers experience: Breastfeeding Aversion. 

Using a magnesium lotion can help dispel some of the unpleasantness associated with breastfeeding aversion. If you want to learn more about taking magnesium while breastfeeding, including safety notes, check out our full article.

In some instances, you may have to take magnesium postpartum to combat a serious issue some women experience - postpartum preeclampsia.

Postpartum preeclampsia is a rare condition where your experience high blood pressure and heightened levels of protein in your urine shortly after giving birth. Most often it will develop within 48 hours, but can still occur after as long as 6 weeks.

It is very similar to preeclampsia, which is the version of this disorder which occurs during pregnancy.

In order to treat postpartum preeclampsia, you need to take a two pronged approach: lowering blood pressure and preventing seizures. Magnesium sulfate is commonly used for the latter, preventing seizures, and can save your life. Women are administered an iv drop with magnesium sulfate for 6-24 hours. This method has a very high success rate.

There are tons of different ways you can safely take magnesium after you give birth. We do know that magnesium is better absorbed through the skin, though, so we recommend using a topical application. This way, you can avoid many of the nastier side effects of magnesium, such as diarrhea and/or vomiting. And, your body will better be able to use the nutrient.

8 Sheep Organics Sleepy Body Lotion is a great way to soothe your aches and pains throughout the day, and prepare your mind and body for a night of deep, restful sleep. Handcrafted in small batches and completely natural, it’s no wonder women don’t stop taking it after they give birth!