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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

If you've any tips for preventing/managing leg cramps I'd be VERY grateful.

27 replies

ITryToBeZenBut · 27/10/2011 09:02

I've had cramps in my calves at night before - when I was distance running and usually upped my bananas to ensure I was getting enough magnesium which did the job.

For the last week I've been woken up during the night with really painful cramps - had them in both my left and right calves. I had read they were common but they're just so surprisngly painful.

I'm now eating 4 bananas a day Hmm but nothing is touching them. Anyone got any advice? I'd be so grateful if there's anything I can try. This am I was rolling around (happily in a hotel with work so I have a whole space to myself to roll around in) flailing madly til it passed which must have taken a few minutes.

Also doesn't bode well for my plan to try for a natural birth and use breathing to manage the pain - I think I need to some more practice... Confused

I'm only 24 weeks now so hoping I can find a way to prevent/reduce them.

Thank you.

OP posts:
Woodifer · 27/10/2011 09:12

hiya zen - some people up their calcium intake as well (by drinking more milk etc) - I though bananas was potassium??

not helpful when away with work - but getting your DP/Dh to massage your calves before bed. or try gentle stretches before bed.

ok not prevention but for dealing with them - getting out of bed and standing up lets you stretch your calves out more easily - i've had where i was unable to lift my toes towards me by muscle power alone. because the cramp was so strong.

fourbears · 27/10/2011 09:20

Hi!

I used to drink a glass of milk before bed when I was pregnant and getting leg cramps. (They are so painful, aren't they?!) It usually stopped them and if I forgot I got cramps that night. Something to do with the calcium in the milk.

Also putting your weight on the affected leg helps stop them sooner. Many a night I threw myself out of bed moaning loudly! Nice shock for DH!

Hope that helps. (By the way, they are nothing like contractions. Different kind of pain thankfully.)

Imnotaslimjim · 27/10/2011 09:23

Its not magnesium/pottasium you need, its quinine. Easiest way to get it is tonic water, but if you don't like the taste of it (I think its horrid!) you can get quinine tablets from health shops.

RoseC · 27/10/2011 09:23

I've never had pregnancy leg cramps but I do get them from an old injury and was told to drink tonic water with quinine and it worked (good job, because I hate the stuff!). I don't know if it's okay to drink that whilst pregnant - someone wiser will probably be along or you could ask your GP?

RoseC · 27/10/2011 09:24

x-posts Imnotaslimjim :)

silversmith · 27/10/2011 09:26

I'm at 36 weeks and have been having leg cramps for a good few weeks now. Bananas & milk before bed definitely reduce them - I wasn't convinced until I forgot one night and got the pains far worse. I've tried doing stretches immediately before bed as well, but I'm less convinced about that.

I naturally sleep on my back, and find that I'm in more pain when I've rolled over from the approved 'sleep on your left hand side with pillows between your legs' and wake up on my back with the pillows somewhere on the floor, so whether some nerve gets trapped or squashed, I don't know.

Sympathies though - it's rubbish, isn't it?

JeanLouiseFinch · 27/10/2011 09:27

I would agree with Slim. I started drinking tonic water at about 20 weeks when the cramps started and found it very effective. I didn't drink it every day, so maybe we can store quinine.

I hope you get some relief soon.

silversmith · 27/10/2011 09:28

(I'll try the tonic water if and when I can have gin in it! Wink )

LoveInAColdGrave · 27/10/2011 09:37

I am 20 weeks and hating the leg cramps! Thanks for the tips. I have also been panicking that I will not manage labour well since my leg cramp response is more "ow ow bloody ow" than the serene response my hypnotherapy CD seems to be expecting from me Grin...

BeeBopBunny · 27/10/2011 10:06

Does it help if you sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs?

aStabbingStrangleways · 27/10/2011 10:10

A mw told me to sleep with a bar of Pears soap next to my legs Hmm No idea if it works as I had had the baby by then, but her colleague endorsed its effectiveness. Let me know how it goes if you get desperate enough to try it Grin

idlevice · 27/10/2011 10:13

Mine seem to have gone since I started a magnesium supplement. You can get specific supplements for muscle cramps as it's pretty common. They mainly contain potassium, calcium, magnesium, chromium. Haven't tried quinine but it is well-known for helping with night cramps.

Kayzr · 27/10/2011 10:16

I always used to get leg cramps and the only thing I found to get rid of them quicker was to stretch my calf muscle. So I'd push my heel down so my leg was stretched out.

Can't help with things to take as my GP and mw said there was nothing to take that would help.

LadyWord · 27/10/2011 10:17

Mine were so bad when pregnant, I screamed more than I did in labour!

What helped for me was:
Tonic water and bag of crisps at bedtime - MW tips
Warm bath at bedtime too
Big, warm knee-length socks on in bed - legs getting even slightly cold can trigger the cramp

HandMini · 27/10/2011 10:20

I think coconut water is supposed to help.

BalloonSlayer · 27/10/2011 10:20

I was going to say Tonic Water too!

It did seem to work for me and I have gone from hating it to loving it.

Slainte · 27/10/2011 10:21

Agree with glass of milk and half a banana as I was getting into bed really helped. They're a symptom of pregnancy I hadn't expected and they're so painful!!

wigglesrock · 27/10/2011 10:23

Get the foot onto a cold tile floor as soon as you can, it will help with the immediate agony discomfort and stop it being so sore in the morning.

littlestressy · 27/10/2011 10:27

I know exactly how you feel, I started getting terrible leg cramps at about 24 weeks, literally had to throw myself out of bed and hobble (while moaning loudly) around the bedroom.
They haven't gone for good now but things I find that help:
drinking plenty of water/fluid during the day
making sure when I have my legs up on the sofa that I don't cross my ankles
not crossing my legs when sitting down
sleeping with a fat pillow between my legs
Also, when I get cramps stretching out the leg by pulling the toes up towards me (when my leg is lying in bed), not pointing the toes.
I found bananas made no difference! Might try tonic water though.

MyRealName · 27/10/2011 10:32

If I suddenly stretched my leg out (in my sleep or otherwise) it seemed to trigger it. And I am a fidgety sleeper and a fidget in general. Like others have said, I found gentle and slow stretches before bed helped a bit. That and I think my unconsious brain started learning not to let my legs move around so much. MW told me about the bananas but I hate them and would rather suffer cramps!

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

voodoomunkee · 27/10/2011 10:38

I can also recommend tonic water! I have to mix it with juice though as the only way I can normally tolerate it is with vodka or gin, so not really practical at the moment (38 weeks). Also I found that they were worse if I was really tired. Didn't get the cramps as much this time round but restless and twitchy legs instead. It eased off for a long while but just started getting them again so back on the tonic water I shall go!

brianmayshair · 27/10/2011 11:08

I've started taking calcium tablets and it did help so long as i remember them Hmm. Trying to drink lots of water too.

YBR · 27/10/2011 13:06

I can usually avoid cramps getting painful if I wake up enough (I often seem to wake up just in time - bizarre). Just as the cramp starts, stretch it out - just stretch your leg with the ankle at right-angles rather than pointed.
I also try to keep up my intake of calcium/potassium/magnesium/quinnine but I can't say which if any of these helps.
There is quinnine in Bitter Lemon as well as Tonic, which I much prefer.

Original poster
ITryToBeZenBut · 27/10/2011 15:07

Oh thank you so much for all the replies ladies! Just been tied up at work and amazed by the responses. Plenty to try there to try to prevent them and good ideas for how to beat the buggers next time they start Smile

Sympathies to loveinacoldgrave, littlestressy, myrealname and others also suffering but I was very pleased to read not to worry too much about how I'm going to cope with contractions from this response. I was hoping for something a little more, errrr, serene on the big day and I wasn't very ladylike at 5am this morning when stricken Grin

Buying more bananas - I agree they helped me before slainte and i love coconut water so thank you handmini for giving me an excuse to justify those expensive cartons of the stuff that my OH raises his eyebrows at cause they're £2 and everyone drinks them in my yoga centre so he thinks they're all a bit 'designer drink' so I just usually take my own OJ for cheapness sake. Looking forward to grinning sweetly and saying 'but it's to prevent my cramps, dear OH'

Thank you for the tonic/quinine tips I'mnotaslimjim, rosec, jeanlouisefinch, ladyword,, balloonslayer and voodoomunkee I love tonic - usually with gin and lemon so will try this evening and pretend it's got gin in it.

woodifer, fourbears, silversmith,kazyr and ybr - thanks for the stretching tips. I'll def try this. If I'm with my OH he always tries to stretch me but they're so bad he'd be liable to get a kick if he tried so will try for myself.

beebopbunny not sure about the pillow making a difference but my pillows are a bit flat but will try again with a better one. I have a nice big yoga boulster I can lie my top leg on to try as I keep losing the pillows like silversmith

Off to get some supplements idlevice and brianmayshair as I'm allergic to milk so maybe short on calcium and perhaps not enough in my multivit.

Pears soap is worth a go stabbing and failing that, going to roll around on the kitchen floor wigglesrock

Yeah! I feel really positive I can try some stuff even if it's just something you have to live with for a bit but horrible feeling helpless.

Thanks again Smile

OP posts:
pregnantmimi · 28/10/2011 05:30

oh god the bloody leg cramps i get it in left calf never had before in my life apart from pregnancy! Agree about the tonic water it helps me for sure also Im careful not to strach calf when first wake as it can set it off sometimes. Also get a massage on your legs some sports/ massage therapists etc can work on pregnant woman and know ways of adapting plus the hydrotherm massage water bed is great as you dont need to turn over can have the back of your legs worked on while lying on your back its great. Hope it goes soon xx