When should calcium be supplemented during pregnancy?

Calcium supplementation during pregnancy has always been critical, because during pregnancy, the nutrients of pregnant women will be absorbed by the baby in the body, so the physical condition of pregnant women will become worse at this time, so more calcium should be supplemented. If calcium is not supplemented, the baby will not absorb calcium, which may also cause the baby to develop slowly and deformed. So when is the best time to supplement calcium during pregnancy?

At the same time, if pregnant women are calcium deficient, the harm is very serious. First, it can cause maternal calf cramps, muscle cramps, pregnancy-induced hypertension, loose teeth after delivery, pelvic pain, joint pain, etc. Second, it can affect the health of the fetus, leading to incomplete development of fetal teeth and bones, osteoporosis, abnormal blood coagulation, congenital laryngeal soft tissue, etc.

Osteomalacia, etc.

When should pregnant women start taking calcium supplements?

When should pregnant women start taking calcium supplements? We must first understand the calcium demand pattern of pregnant women. In the early stages of pregnancy, the amount of calcium they need is roughly the same as that of normal people, so there is no need for special calcium supplements. Under normal circumstances, pregnant women can start taking calcium supplements from the fourth month of pregnancy. After 4 months of pregnancy, the daily calcium requirement of pregnant women gradually increases to 1000-1200 mg. At this time, the amount of calcium contained in our daily diet can no longer meet the baby's growth needs, so the remaining calcium must be obtained from calcium-containing foods or high-quality calcium supplements.

Of course, if a pregnant woman shows obvious symptoms of calcium deficiency during pregnancy, perhaps not in the fourth month, such as calf cramps, loose teeth, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, joint and pelvic pain, etc., if she shows one of the above symptoms, it means that she is already calcium deficient and needs to supplement calcium in time.

Precautions for calcium supplementation during pregnancy

1. Don’t just drink soup and milk to supplement calcium

Many pregnant women do not know how much calcium they should take. Human nutrition clearly stipulates that in the early pregnancy, 800 mg of calcium is needed per day, in the second pregnancy, 1000-1200 mg, and in the third pregnancy, 1200-1500 mg, with a maximum amount of 2000 mg. Daily meals can only provide less than 400 mg of calcium, and a 250 ml cup of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium. A pregnant woman asked if she could drink two cups of milk every day. "One cup of milk is still the best. Milk contains a lot of lactose. Drinking two cups of milk (500 ml) will result in a total calorie intake of 270 kcal, which exceeds the 200 kcal required by pregnant women every day. Pregnant women will gain weight, and the required calcium will still not be enough." Therefore, for pregnant women to supplement calcium, the earlier the better, and the more the better.

Drinking soup to supplement calcium is far from enough! "Bone calcium is basically insoluble in soup. 1 kg of bones is boiled for 3-4 hours. 1 kg of bone soup contains only 20-50 mg of calcium. Drinking soup alone is far from enough to supplement calcium." This means that relying solely on meals, soups, and milk is far from enough to meet the need for calcium supplementation. Clinically, bone softening and bone loss are very common. 70%-80% of mothers have symptoms of mild or severe calcium deficiency (easy waking during sleep, muscle cramps, etc.). These symptoms disappear through scientific calcium supplementation.