OUCH! Painful leg cramps. please help.

[Rebekah]

The past few nights I've hardly slept at all due to painful cramps in my legs (including inner thighs). One was so bad last night that I cried. (I suppose the one benefit is that it helps me practice breathing through pain in anticipation of labor!)

I've been working really hard lately. Sitting at my desk for 10-12 hours with only short walks to the bathroom. I suspect that has something to do with it, but there isn't much I can do about that for a few more days. Last night when I got home, I went for a walk and did some yoga and stretched my legs and did pelvic rocks. None of this seemed to help.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

[late-night nan]

My OB explained that leg cramps are a symptom of calcium deficiency, so be sure to take your prenatal vit's and consider the viactiv chocolatey calcium supplemts. dairy, if you can digest it, and leafy greens also help. stay away from tums, because they can cause an electrolyte imbalance, i've been told.

[lexbeach]

Dehydration can cause all kinds of muscle cramps, are you drinking LOTS of water? . . . However, I had leg cramps when I was pg, and I definitely easn't dehydrated or calcium deficient, for that matter. I never found out what caused them, but I do think they're fairly common. I read somewhere (maybe here?) that when you first feel the tightness coming on, flex your foot (stretch your toes up). My instict had always been to point my toes. . . Pointing makes it much WORSE. I tried flexing, and it always made the cramp stop as soon as it had begun. I didn't have them in my thighs, though, just my calves.

HTH!

Lex

[galadriel]

I've had them once or twice; a calcium supplement took care of it for me, as well as exercise. (I believe poor circulation/lack of exercise can contribute). Good luck!

[owensmom]

A banana a day is what my midwives recommended, and it worked!

[crayon]

I got the worst calf cramps ever! I would wake up screaming I started flexing my foot tward my belly and they would not not get bad at all. But if I point my toes I hit the roof. I have been doing good lately but I have been drinking lost of water at night before I go to bed. I have been getting a really bad burning feeling about 5 inches down from my hip on the right side, and have yet to find a cure, but I think the babe is just pushing on something. I am due next week so I think things are tight

Good luck- and for me, pre-nat vit made me very sick and my midwife told me to stop taking them that I was getting all I needed in my food. She also said that water would help with cramps not the vit.

[SpiralWoman]

Hi there~ youch! I hate those cramps! Mine are in my calves & would wake me up completely knotted. I am taking a liquid Cal-Mag supplement, 2 spoons right before bed. Each TBSP has 600mg Calcium, 300 mg magnesium, 300mg Phosphorus, & 300 IU vitamin D. My midwife recommended anything with about 2x the calcium as the Mag, & since I hate plain milk, this really boosts my vit d as well.

Works like a charm I still will get one once in a while, but I used to get them so bad that my legs would be sore in the AM. The thing for me to do is get up out of bed & once I put my weight flat on my foot it goes away. I totally agree that pointing toes is a bad idea for the calf cramps! The hard part can be getting up with my leg rigid sticking out straight! but DH gets woken up & helps out when needed

hope that helps! blessings, maria

[Rebekah]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. The cramps have gotten better as has the amount of time I spend at work sitting at a computer. Correlation? YEP.

I've also increased milk and stopped drinking seltzer. I heard that carbonated beverages contribute as well. So far so good!!!!

[Chelly2003]

Don't laugh!

My grandmother always told me to put corks in the bed (you know from wine bottles) Anyway, I made a little chain of corks with some yarn threaded through them and slept with them tied around my ankles - worked for me!

:LOL - it does sound really funny though.

Chelly

[Viola]

Re: OUCH! Painful leg cramps. please help.

Originally posted by Rebekah
The past few nights I've hardly slept at all due to painful cramps in my legs (including inner thighs). One was so bad last night that I cried. (I suppose the one benefit is that it helps me practice breathing through pain in anticipation of labor!)

LOL about the breathing practice. Last time I was pregnant I tried to use leg cramps for that. I've been reading Birthing From Within and they have exercises where you hold an ice cube in your hand and try different things so that you actually stop feeling the sensation. I guess the purpose is for them to get to be second nature. I've been thinking of trying to induce some muscle cramps. I can induce calf cramps by squeezing the muscle and pointing my toe, but once the spasm starts starts, I can't even stand it for 3 seconds so I end up stretching out of it. The foot cramps are OK for practice, but I'm thinking if I can't stand a calf cramp, how am I going to go unmedicated? I'm such a wimp for pain. Oh well, I'll keep trying!

[Jennifer Z]

Bananas helped me. I ate a couple a day until my leg cramps went away.

Hey...what about a banana milkshake...would cover both the calcuim and banana ideas.

[Free Thinker]

I have these, and try to eat a banana. I think I'll try that Banana shake! I have to make one for my DH every night anyway

[birthinglau]

I'm going to "third" the flexing toes up towards your belly. that helped every time. and making sure to walk every day. also tried bananas, pretty helpful, but gave me wicked heartburn by the third trimester. so I can't eat them much right now.

-Lau