Good morning, Mamas!
I am 22 weeks pregnant, and for the last 2-3 weeks, I've been waking up in the middle of the night with terrible leg cramps, mostly in my calves. Many times it wakes me up out of a deep sleep, and the only thing I can do is get up and walk around or stretch. I eat lots of bananas and foods with potassium, I'm taking prenatals, eating a balanced diet, and drinking water (although I could probably drink more water if I need to). My OB said there's not a whole lot to do, but she suggested tonic water (quinine) might help. I've not tried this yet.
Does anyone have any other ideas? Some nights they're so bad my legs are sore the next day. I hope this doesn't last the rest of the time...
Thank you so much!!
Take a magnesium and calcium supplement. Google magnesium and leg cramps. Also if you are trying to add more potassium, banannas actually don't have a lot. Try Jicama or, my favorite, coconut water!
One thing I learned to do is as you start to awaken, and want to stretch...
Stretch with your HEELS down, not pointing your toes.....
Just try this now, and feel how your muscles work differently... when you stretch with your toes, you are CONTRACTING your calf muscle..... and that is what can lead to that cramp. When you stretch with your HEEL down, you are STRETCHING your calf muscle...... which is what you want to do to help avoid the calf muscle cramping.
It is difficult to learn, but it can be done.....
That will help some...... I still make a point of stretching heel down when I awaken..and my youngest is 21 years old!
Even though you are eating bananas and prenatals with minerals, it is clearly not enough. Your body is working double duty for your body and your developing baby. If you are not consuming enough, your body will take it what it needs from your muscles, bones, etc..
I still remember the pain! and my son is past three years old :)
I would take supplements and eat a banana right before getting ready for bed. A M. at my daughter's school had her baby seven months ago and her leg cramps were making her suffer; she tried the banana before bed and said it was a miracle.
My BIL told me there are other fruits even higher in potassium than bananas, watermelon I think he said.
Take care and good luck with the cramps,
Try Tums. I'm not joking-- the calcium saved both myself and my sister a heck of a lot of pain. Your body is using a lot of calcium to make that baby, so your body is getting depleted. I had quite a few nights of bad leg cramps and started taking a Tums before bedtime-- that helped considerably.
(My sis would get leg cramps as "growing pains" as a kid when she couldn't have dairy, and her mom would give her Tums to help as she thought it was a calcium deficiency. Always worked!)
There's a natural health product that works *miracles* with leg cramps. It's called Calm. And it's just magnesium carbonate. You dissolve a tsp in a cup of water and drink. Within minutes the cramps are gone. I also used it as a preventative. A cup before bed and NO cramps. It also helped me fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Yes, this can be a normal pregnancy symptom..
Banana, Tums..
In Lamaze they taught us to turn your feet inward towards each other and point your toes back towards you and heels away and then the opposite.
It works great.
I had terrible leg cramps with my 1st pregnancy. With my second, less, and NONE with my third. Why? Water. Up really need to drink water. Also, stretch your legs daily. Flex your feet back and forth multiple times a few times a day.
And eat a banana a day.
This happened to me with my first pregnancy, my Doc told me to drink
More water during the day and eat a banana right before bed time and
Low and behold they went away. Hope it works for you as well.
I was having this same problem and I was told that if I was well hydrated, they would go away. So I started drinking a lot more water and the first night after that I didn't wake up to the leg cramps. Hydrate!!!
make sure you eat the banana at night.. it is potassium, calcium and magnesium.. and you need to take the supplements in the evening.. so you don't get the cramp at night.
Those leg cramps are the pits!
Ditto Mom B. When the cramps start at night, immediately stretch with your heels, meaning your foot is flexed, toes not pointed, but flexed up.
I recommend a baked potato with dinner, or any kind of potato dish you like, plus the banana before bed.
I had the exact same problem when I was pregnant with both of my children. You have already increased potassium so I would suggest upping the water intake too. Also, and this will sound strange, like an old wives tale but it really worked, place a bar of dove soap (or any plain fragrance free white bar soap) under your sheet near the foot of the bed. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever why it works but it does. I kept waiting for a resurgence of the leg cramps but they never returned during either pregnancy. Strange but true. Good luck!
