is there a trick to making the leg cramps go away?

TG508 · December 2010

i swear this child has been he!! on me! my first was a BREEZE.

i now get woke up about 5-6x a night with cramps/ charlie horses in my legs and also wake up the next morning with sore legs feeling like iv ran a marathon.

is there a trick to making them stop or go away?

TIA

kcisthebombdotcom · December 2010

Bananas, or anything high in potassium.

akozera · December 2010

Bananas and 'taters....worked for me.

kgabardy · December 2010

Right there with you....I've been having them ever since halfway through my 2nd trimester. They get a little better if I eat more bananas, and also if I drink more water, but I've found that leg stretches before bed help the most. Flex your foot, don't point your toe, but make the toes go upwards towards you, until your calf muscle is stretching. Also, I have my FI press the bottom of my feet upwards to help stretch further, and it really seems to help.

Hope this works for you....I know those charlie horses are freaking he!!

sparkelz · December 2010

My OB recommended increasing my calcium intake. I had always heard to increase my potassium intake, but I did not realize that calcium can affect them as well.

Also remember to point your toes when you have one; it won?t make them go away bet it eases the pain.

skio · December 2010

I've had these BAD.

Calcium did not do the trick for me. Drinking more water or gatorade in the pre-bedtime hours (it creates extra suckage with the getting up to pee, but it's better than the cramps) and doing calf-stretches before bed have helped me recently.

RHitch · December 2010

I had them during my first pregnancy, but not this time (thank God). The trick is to push your toes up towards your head when you feel it coming on. This will ususually stretch your calf muscle and stop it before it gets really bad. The calcium and potasium increase didn't help with mine, so I don't have any advice on that.

BabyGsMom · December 2010

RHitch:
I had them during my first pregnancy, but not this time (thank God). The trick is to push your toes up towards your head when you feel it coming on. This will ususually stretch your calf muscle and stop it before it gets really bad. The calcium and potasium increase didn't help with mine, so I don't have any advice on that.

This is what helped me, too. Sometimes I'd get out of bed and stand up. Putting weight on it seemed to really help. My size 2 doctor suggested I do some toe touches before bed and then demonstrated what a proper toe touch looked like. I almost Charlie Horsed her in the jugular.

kesrya · December 2010

Nettles are also very good for leg cramps. I have a nettle supplement I take before bed which is the time the cramps are the worse for me. However, traditional medicinals has a "pregnancy tea" with RRL and nettle in it ... so if you are already drinking a RRL, you could have this instead. I love it - very tasty. Nettle and RRL are safe to consume the entire time during pregnancy.

BLACK cohosh also helps to relax muscle spasms and specifically leg cramps. It is safe to take after about 36 weeks, and is also sometimes include in teas designed for late pregnancy. Very important to note that BLUE cohosh is NOT safe to consume until 40 weeks (it causes uterine contractions), and even then I don't recommend it until labor is established b/c consuming too much can possibly cause some problems in the newborn. Blue and black cohosh are not botanically related - but because they share the word "cohosh" (which means gnarly) people mistake them and use them interchangeably.

doz&koz · December 2010

My OB suggested that I take magnesium to help with the leg cramps. Between that and eating lots of bananas (I try to eat one a day), my leg cramps have basically disappeared in the last few weeks.

LuckyLesley · December 2010

as pp mentioned, bananas, potatoes, gatorade...basically anything high in potassium should help. I really like the v8 fusion juices that give other nutrients as well...and a lot of nuts ex. almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans have magnesium that help with the cramps. I get a can of the deluxe mixes nuts that I snack on that seems to help too Good Luck, because I know that pain is horrible!

Jada_5479 · December 2010

doz&koz:
My OB suggested that I take magnesium to help with the leg cramps. Between that and eating lots of bananas (I try to eat one a day), my leg cramps have basically disappeared in the last few weeks.

This!!! My doc said many times people think it's lack of potassium but in pregnancy it's usually lack of magnesium. He recomended Cal-Mag an OTC supplement. B/c I already get a lot of calcium I bought Magnesium 250mg. I take one a day and the legs cramps have gone away!! (Also make sure to stay hydrated.) GL