April 2017 Moms

foot or leg cramps at night

Has anyone had leg or foot cramps at night? 

This is my third pregnancy; I had no issues (other than mild nausea) with my first two. I've been getting awful foot and calf cramps in the middle of the night and cannot alleviate them with stretching or heat.

I do yoga every evening before bed, and lead an active lifestyle (I always get my 10,000 Fitbit steps, haha!). I take a prenatal and eat a banana after dinner to maybe raise my potassium. 

Anyone else dealing with this or have any potential solutions?
IVF/ICSI #1 - BFP, DS born Jan 2013
IVF/ICSI #2 - BFP, DD born Feb 2015
IVF FET - BFP, due April 2017


Re: foot or leg cramps at night

  • Magnesium was recommended for me - I would get terrible leg cramps and charlie horses at night with my previous pregnancy. Sorry you are dealing with this - it's killer! 
  • Potassium!!! Eat more bananas! I got awful leg cramps last go around and the bananas were a God send.
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  • Echoing what PPs have said - you need magnesium and potassium to avoid muscle cramps, partciularly if you're not drinking as much water as you have in the past. Honestly, even if you are super hydrated, I still got wicked charlie horses in my last pregnancy. Maybe try: https://www.amazon.com/Pink-Stork-Mist-Magnesium-Irritability/dp/B00S3ROEFE and https://www.amazon.com/Pink-Stork-Flakes-Pregnancy-Extremely/dp/B00SP89RMG/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1477414066&sr=8-5&keywords=pink+stork
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  • Yeah leg cramps are super common and the most common "medicine" is bananas. But from my understanding you are not supposed to eat more than one big or two small bananas per day. So if that's not helping, maybe talk to a doc if there is another type of supplement you can take. I had it with DD even though I drank so much water, ate a banana every day, walked a lot, and ate super healthy all together. Sometimes it just lasts for a while and then goes away on its own. It's no fun at all!


  • So sorry you are dealing with leg craps, they are so painful!  I had them with DD and would wake up screaming for DH to help!  I would eat about 2 bananas a day and it seemed to help a lot.  Hope they ease up for you soon!
    EDD 4/15/17
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  • Looks like I am going to need to go get some bananas. I have been having issues with mainly my right calf and bottom of my right foot in the middle of the night. I can stretch them out pretty quickly and the worst of the pain goes away but then they just feel sore all the next day.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • Potassium! Also, when it's happening, flex your foot. That helps it cease faster.

    DD1 born 5/24/10.

    Missed M/C at 14 wks Feb 2012.

    DD2 born 5/14/13.

    Missed M/C at 9 wks July 2015.

    Expecting someone new 4/17/17.
  • I had a lot of trouble in my first pregnancy with them. They are terrible! I ate bananas an tried to drink a bunch of water. Something you may try is a new drink that my husband an I just found. They are called body armor. We get them at gas stations, but have bought them from krogers as well. They have a lot of vitamins an what not in it. To the point that if I feel like crap I'll drink one. I told my husband that if it starts again, I would be buying those drinks to see if they helped.
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