Leg cramps

[jackieb76]

Hi all,

I am 32 weeks pregnant and 4 o'clock this morning I had the worst leg cramp that I have ever had. Now I have had them on the sporting field when I was younger but nothing at all like this. I had to get hubby to stretch it out for me but it took him a while, and then when I tried to get up to go to the toilet it happened again. I was almost screaming in agony. Is anyone else experiencing these? And if so have you found anything that helps? I am fairly sure that I have read somewhere that they are a fairly normal part of pregnancy and not to do with dehydration (I have been drinking plenty of water).

I do not recall getting these with my 1st DD so any advice or others experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Take care & Merry Christmas

Jackie :)

[alicesmum]

one of my biggest pregnancy complaints last time from about 22 wks on was restless legs (feeling like i had ants crawling all over them) and leg cramps. i got the cramps regularly and they were shockers!!! (like you described).

i got into a routine of doing about 10-15 mins of leg stretches (yes, all the ones u used to do before sport at school) right before bed and always had a big glass of milk just before bed too. apparently the calcium helps reduce the cramping. also, i think salt is pretty important in reducing cramping, so if your diet is currently very low on salt you might add a bit more.

hope that helps
rachel :)

[tickle]

Hi there,
I had this with O. It was a horrible shock in the middle of the night, drove me nuts!
Can't give you any good advice. The dr told me more calcium, but I was basically living off milk already!
Good luck!:)

[JanetF]

A magnesium/calcium supplement works wonders for this as well as upping the salt in your diet if your food is tasting a touch bland. That's an indication that you need more salt.

[brooke]

i have been getting the worst cramps in my legs most of my pregnancy!
I hate them... I have been woken up screaming in pain some nights.
I have found having DH rub my legs with some baby oil before bed really helps...

[jackieb76]

Thanks ladies,

It helps (if only just a little) to know that I am not the only one going through this. I have heard that drinking a small amount of gatorade or staminade before bed can also help. But I am a little worried as to how safe this is for bub?

I must admit that my diet is pretty low in salt so may start adding some to dinner.

I can't complain too much though, this is really the only downside to my pregnancy at the moment, except for maybe coping with the heat.

Take care

Jackie.:)

[Chickadee]

I agree with JanetF. For leg cramping try upping your electrolytes - calcium, magnesium and also potassium (bananas are great). Sports drinks like Gatorade will have plenty of electrolytes (which is why athletes use them to stay hydrated) but some (most?) are also fairly high in calories and simple carbohydrates for quick fuel to the body. So you probably don't want to overdo the sports drinks.

Restless legs have been linked in some cases to low iron levels.

[LittleBoysRock]

Like the other ladies, I too had leg cramps. They are not much fun at all but thankfully they go once bub is born.

I tried to keep my fluids up all the time but I couldnt find a way to stop from getting them.

Keep smiling...

[Ky]

Get out of bed and onto a tiled floor (or have a couple of tiles by the bed) ... honestly, the cramps go sooooo quickly!