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Leg cramps have me in tears

NADA-HNADA-H member
in 2nd Trimester
I had some really bad ones before but once I started retaking my calcium+ vitamin D and prenatal vitamins they were gone. The last two nights though they are back, and they don't attack me in the morning like before nor do they go away when I stretch my toes, now they occur right when I lay down and last long.

I've been going back to the gym and upping the intensity of my routine just a little bit every time and I think I didn't stretch right or something at the beginning/end of my routine which was on Monday, I felt sore just like you do when you exercise, it was nothing alarming and then about 6 hours later when I'm getting into bed my calf cramps so bad and I'm trying to stretch it to make it stop, tried shaking it, and it only got worse, my husband was trying to relax the muscle while I bawled like a 2 years old and kept twisting in bed, that went on from 5-10 minutes. I got up in the morning and the cramp was gone by my entire leg hurt real bad.

Comes yesterday, I don't go to the gym or anything and when it's time for bed and we try to get intimate another freaking leg cramp similar to the one from the night before strikes mid-intercourse in the same leg along with a shooting pain up my hip and down to my toes, my toes and  foot were also cramping and I kept crying and twisting while my poor husband tried to gently work on relaxing the muscle that again went on for 5-10 minutes. Even getting under the covers when it had calmed down made the cramp start coming back, WTF?! so I just lay there in whichever position I was in when it calms down with my leg up on a pillow from the knee down.

I drink huge quantities of water, I'm on Centrum Materna + Caltrate which is calcium and vitamin D and I eat a banana a day, I have cheese,milk, yogurt, and other dairy products on daily bases. What else can I do! I'm dreading trying to have intercourse again or going to bed tonight. My hip and leg still hurt from last night's muscle spasm.
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God Bless You my Little One
Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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Farida, at 8 weeks
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Re: Leg cramps have me in tears

  • GoodWitchBadWitchGoodWitchBadWitch member
    Ask your OB about potassium.  
    If you are deficient, a banana a day isn't going to bring you up.  But don't just take a potassium supplement because you can cause heart problems if you raise your potassium too high or too fast
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    I think it's time for another blood work
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    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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    Farida, at 8 weeks
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    its worse when calf cramps, toe cramps, and  Sciatic nerve pain come together as a combination....I felt like my leg was possessed last night
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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    Farida, at 8 weeks
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  • foreverapartofmeforeverapartofme member
    I had very bad leg cramps with my last pregnancy and they can be excruciating.  I always felt like they started as soon as I was about to fall asleep.  My ob recommended that I take magnesium because the calcium was not doing the trick.  Also, she recommended that I make sure I am drinking even more water than I usually do.  Both of these things combined really helped me.  Definitely touch base with your ob and see what they recommend.  Hope you feel better.
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  • Justabean3Justabean3 member
    edited March 2014
    This sounds really strange but drink pickle juice. I didn't believe it would work but I was desperate... Worked awesome


    https://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/pickleJuice.htm
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    thanks for all the help ladies..the only blood work I had done was in my first T so I think it's time to know what levels I've got of everything running in my body, was so scared of going to bed last night but I didn't get a cramp..didn't go to the gym either though

    @mamakate12345 I know about the flexing thing but during the cramp *mama brain* kicked in and instead of flexing I was pointing my toes which made it worse


    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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    Farida, at 8 weeks
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  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    I get them with each of my pregnancy in the middle of the night- huge charlie horse.  It doesn't matter that I've always worked out prior to being pregnant and during my pregnancy or that I have a habit of eating a banana a day (pregnant or not) but the only thing that ever worked was an unwrapped bar of plain Ivory soap.  I put in in my sheet and kept my leg near it.  The first week, I would have one but as soon as I rubbed the bar on my leg it stopped and they never came back.  Not sure why it works but if you google you can find info on it saying there's no explaintion but that it works.
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  • Tweeks23Tweeks23 member
    edited March 2014
    Tonic water! A good friend of mine was getting them ALL the time and she had a glass of tonic water before bed and something in it helped with the cramps. I went for a prenatal massage yesterday and the tech told me the same thing.

    edit: typo
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  • AbbyAlwanAbbyAlwan member
    Just posted a thread that I'm scared to go to bed! It's not my legs it's my hips. Ugh.
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  • caballablancacaballablanca member
    A tsp of yellow mustard when it comes on and the pain will subside. I did this last pregnancy and it worked well.

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  • Mommy2bMishMommy2bMish member
    Leg cramps during pregnancy are a sign of dehydration. Aim for about 2-3 L a day
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    I started doing more stretching before and after my workout routine and they pretty much disappeared. Also if I start feeling like my muscle is getting tight I flex my foot and a cramp doesn't happen! that helped a lot

    thank you so much ladies
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
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  • MonotonetwoMonotonetwo member
    This happened a lot with my pregnancy with DS. Haven't experienced it with this pregnancy, hoping it stays that way. All I could do is eat bananas and point toes upwards as soon as I felt it coming on. Good luck. Oh the joys :)
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  • brachysirabrachysira member
    I've been waking around 4 AM and it literally feels like someone is trying to pull my legs off from the hip.  I think I even look wider in the hip area.  I do not remember this with baby 1.  I guess my body is expecting a large head.
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  • Justabean3Justabean3 member
    Try pickle juice... I'm telling ya or works
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  • dawnangela79dawnangela79 member
    Do you wear high heels a lot? I was getting the worst charlie horses in the middle of the night, I stopped wearing heels (which was a sad day for me) but since then no more leg cramps! I work out a lot as well, I haven't changed my workouts at all, just switched to flats during the day.
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  • Linz-ELinz-E member
    @NADA-H I haven't read the other responses so Im not sure if anyone already suggested this but have you tried a magnesium supplement? Worked wonders for me last pregnancy. 
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  • chevronsevenchevronseven member
    They're getting worse for me too. I've had sciatic nerve pain pretty much the whole pregnancy, but the actual cramping is just starting. It's funny you said during intercourse, because that's what just happened to me. Felt bad for DH cause every time it would start to get good I'd cramp up and have to shift positions, lol! But I found it actually helped to stand on the leg or foot that was cramping and force all of my weight down on it. I also got a call that my bloodwork showed low iron, so maybe that has something to do with it? I knew calcium and potassium, but iron would be a new one. Anyway, hope it gets better for you!
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    hey ladies, it had gotten much better that I get off my feet and rest and do correct and proper stretching before and after workout.

    If I feel it coming I just flew my toes now and it goes away what's bad is Sciatic nerve pain now that is really bad for me

    as to the heels comment, I stopped being able to wear heels before I grew a bump! my feet and back would kill me….and when I say heels I mean the tinniest height wide heels…think air hostesses and I couldn't even do these! stopped wearing them at around 12 weeks
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
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  • Us&theBunniesUs&theBunnies member
    As for the tonic water it's the quinine in it that helps with leg cramps, they have separate pills that dissolve under your tongue of quinine on Amazon but I don't know their safety for pregnancy.

    With my really bad charlie horse/calf cramps, not quite sure why but sticking my fingers between my last three toes on the hurting leg to separate them usually manages to stretch the muscle out or do something that provides tremendous relief.
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