How to stop the ache!!

[Mum&bubs]

Ahh you know those bad cramps you get in your legs when your pregnant? The REALLY bad ones :gloomy: WELL i got woken up to one of those this morning & ever since my leg has been in such pain with the dullest ache ever! Does anyone know anything i can put on it or do to give me some relief? It hurts so much :(

[SilverStarfish]

I had the same thing while I was pregnant. For about 3 months I woke up to those cramps in my calves nearly every morning :thumbsdown: DH would rub them for me, that took the edge off... but the only thing that really cured it for me was giving birth... sorry :laughing:

Hope you have more luck with the muscle cramps than I did :)

[~EmsMum~]

you poor thing

try getting your DP to give them a nice long massage, I found that it helped me :yes:

[becstar]

Hi there, I had the same problem myself the other night......it hurts!!!
Did some research and it happens because your body is working extra hard to help you function normally during pregnancy, and so, your tired leg muscles may seize up and cramp. Also too much phosphorus (found in processed meat, snack foods, and soda). And too little calcium and potassium circulating in your blood can also cause muscle spasms.

So I guess we give up snack foods and soda (we have already given up processed meats) and make sure we are getting enough calcium (eat lots of dairy) and potassium (salt??). Try drinking a glass of milk before bed?? and stretch your legs before you go to bed.....

Bec

[SilverStarfish]

Eating lots of dairy/milk products didn't help me - I'm married to the milkman. Got so much milk in my fridge I could bathe in it :rolleyes:

[ourfirstbubba]

I was getting them really badly and my OB told me to get some tablets from the chemist called Caltrate? it is a calcium supplement.....I havent bought them as they kind of went away, but when you do get one get out of bed straight away and put your foot on a cold floor...also rubbing it hard helps...they hurt I know but I dont think they are just related to pg because I used to get them before I was pregnant also.....

good luck

[oleander]

Yes I have been experiencing the cramps in my calves in the past week. I have been told to eat bananas to help ease it.

[reAllytee]

Bananas are high in potassium & easily absorbed so makes it an ideal way to get it straight into your body. When my mum was having troubles with her potassium levels she had to have a banana every morning with a glass of orange juice as well as her normal cereal. Peaches, lima beans, squash are fairly high but you also need to add to this daily as you need roughly 2000mg as an adult.
Calcium is another one you need to try & keep up with so fish like salmon, vegies like broccoli & nuts even baked beans help.
These are great alternatives to taking a supplement which can have side effects etc but nothing us a sure fire way of making them stop unfortunately but keeping your levels up of all these things obviously has a great effect of bubs & helps with development.
Just try & stretch your legs before bed & when you wake in the mornings, rotate your feet at your ankles & try to keep yourself on your left side when you sleep to help your circulation plus this also helps with positioning bubs !
Good luck i know they suck i would get them every so often when i was pg with Boof but i did find increasing my stretching did help because i couldnt keep food down even at 9mths !

[SassyMummy]

In all honesty, massage the cramp until it eases up...and then walk on it afterwards. Sounds like torture, and a lot of the time, it is...but it DOES help.

I ALWAYS get cramps in my legs, always have...and nothing works faster.

[Whispers]

when you get them put it under warm running water i use to get them in my calfs all the time when i pregnant manly in the middle of the night. if you just have sore muscles rub some deep heat in to them should help

[*Sparkles*]

Also, try doing calf stretches before you go to bed. Stand with your leg stretched out behind you, foot firmly on the floor. You will feel the stretch in the back of your leg and leaning forward slightly will intensify it.
I hope you feel better soon Krissy :hugs:

[meme]

i used a homeopathic tissue salt tablets from the chemist called mag phos, it's a magnesium supplement and worked great.

[dragonflyblu]

awch, I know what you mean. Until I got one I could not have imagined that the pain could last all day! I got DH to massage me. Took some magphos, stretched. But now I am going to try some of the other suggestions as well. Good luck with it.

[wattle]

Apparantly its due to a lack of magnesium. If it's taken with calcium it absorbs better into your system too.

Luckily chocolate is really helpful, dark chocolate in particular. :yes:

[JAWZ]

hi
i get those leg cramps rather often. dun panic. relax. straighten ur legs and dun point ur toes. the cramps normally go away after 5 secs.. hope this helps :)

[bindiloo]

Mix half a teaspoon of magnesium powder in a glass of juice once a day and you wont get the cramps anymore,it is good for lots of things also and wont harm bubs but most of all it will stop muscle spasms and cramps. Can be purchased from a health food store.

[susmamma]

Hi, yes, yes, yes!!!
You need a magnesium suppliment. Dont bother going to the vitamin section in your chemist though cos you need a magnesium powder which will have the right level of strength for you. You'll need to see a naturapath as they have access to the magnesium powder and will tell you how much to take.
I had the worst cramps with DD and again with this pregnancy but taking the magnesium works a treat.
FYI: calcium makes the muscle contract and magnesium makes it relax. Sooo if you have the right level of calcium your muscle will contract properly but if your mag level is poor it cant un-contract hence the cramp (muscle stuck in contracted state).

Forget bananas, you dont need potassium. It's magnesium (and I've taken it for years on and off as get bad leg cramps in yoga. I take the powder over a period of time and it tops the levels up) But please see a naturapath rather than self diagnosing and making up your own dose. It is not a good idea to go around self diagnosing and self administrating quantities of vitamins.

[Squiggles]

Eating lots of dairy/milk products didn't help me - I'm married to the milkman. Got so much milk in my fridge I could bathe in it :rolleyes:

Im a bit the same - I am a self confessed dairy- a - holic and am sure there could be absolutley no way I am lacking in calcium the amount of milk, yoghurt, cheese etc that goes into this body is huge!

My legs ache too - all the books I have read say it is normal to have cramping due to difficulty in blood circulation... Mine is not so much cramps more really sore aches.

[Mum&bubs]

Im a bit the same - I am a self confessed dairy- a - holic and am sure there could be absolutley no way I am lacking in calcium the amount of milk, yoghurt, cheese etc that goes into this body is huge!

My legs ache too - all the books I have read say it is normal to have cramping due to difficulty in blood circulation... Mine is not so much cramps more really sore aches.

Yes! My cramps have turned into aches now. Mainly in my thighs. I have to get up several times a night to walk it off & as soon as I lay back down again its aching again. Really drives me nuts :banghead: