leg cramps at night??

[katiegee]

hi, first post here although I've been lurking for a while! i'm 21 weeks and for the past couple of nights I've had excruciating leg cramps during the night. I wake up and my calf muscle is rock hard and oh my goodness, it's agony!

I've read this is normal, so I'm not overly worried... just wondering if anyone knows a way to ease the cramps or stop it them happening at all! also, do they ever happen during the day? slightly freaked at the thought of it happening at a inopportune moment in work!

I'm 22 weeks and have had the same problem. My yoga teacher suggested a banana everyday and a small glass of tonic water. I've been doing this all week and so far so good. Something about the potassium and the quinine apparently help.

I got leg cramps at night when I was pg. ladies on here suggested magnesium and calcium tablets. MW saw no problem with it. Worked.

When having a cramp try pointing your toes towards you bump, really helps me when I get them.

I'm 32 weeks with my first and had terrible leg cramps/foot cramps from about 20 weeks, waking me every night multiple times - so did lots of research and basically loads of different things can cause them:
lack of salt, lack of oxygen to muscle (i.e. poor blood flow), dehydration, lack of calcium, lack of potassium, lack of magnesium etc etc.
So, out of desperation, I took all advice and starting having loads of milk, drinking tonic water (contains quinine which is a prescribed treatment for cramp but you can't have prescribed amount in pregnancy), taking my pregnacare multivits, taking magnesium supplements, eating a banana (high in potassium) a day. They went away as soon as I did this.
They returned last night but I've been neglecting my anti-cramp diet - and lately maybe a banana every few days, not so much milk over last week either and not had a magnesium supplement for ages.

Leg cramps and restless legs here. Like missingcaffeine I overhauled my diet and had a huge difference in a couple of weeks. Tonic water with quinine is fast acting so I would advise you start that ASAP.

Don't point your toes forward at night. If you wake up/stir in the night do ankle circles and point toes upwards, wriggle toes, anything that will improve your circulation. If your getting up for the loo it can be helpful to do the ankle circles etc before standing.

While having a cramp, massaging the muscle and trying to stretch it, should help but will be hell :(

thanks for all the advice, adding tonic water and bananas to the shopping list for tonight! ...this is definately one of those things no-one told me about before I got pregnant!

thanks again :)

I also jump out of bed the moment I get a cramp as if I stand normally it goes away. If I don't do this immediately and the cramp gets more severe, standing doesn't make it go away.
I drink tonic water every day now. Not sure if it's addictive but I can't seem to get enough of it!

I didnt think tonic water was advised in pregnancy?

Calcium tabs with added magnesium are the way to go - they cured mine in both pregnancies (not just magnesium either it had to be calcium as well - must have been deficient!)

Glad I found this thread! I'm 22 weeks & have been waking up really early with restless & crampy legs, only once I'm awake I can't get back to sleep. Been up since 4.30am this morning & got a 3 year old to entertain today so no chance of a rest!
Will make sure I top up on banana today

November has got it - you need to reverse the stretch by flexing your feet upwards, toes towards your shins. Even better, I found, was to wake my DH and have him gently stretch it out for me. For some reason, it seemed to hurt less if he did it and I resented him less for blissfully snoring through my agony...!

It is not advised to have large amounts of tonic water in pregnancy because of the quinine.

Sorry I cannot do clicky links on my iPad

www.drugs.com/pregnancy/quinine.html

Think a bit of tonic water would be ok, but not to be drinking it all day. The risk of quinine would mainly be from high dosage, like the levels in Malaria tablets.

I had horrendous night cramps in previous pregnancy.

By coincidence, I take daily magnesium tablets now and have had no problems so far this pregnancy. I take magnesium citrate. There isn't enough magnesium in a multi-vit so don't rely on the pregnacare.

I asked my doctor about tonic water in pregnancy, because I was getting nasty cramps that kept waking me up at night, and she said that while large doses of quinine are not advised in pregnancy, the amount in tonic water would not count as a large dose, and so it wouldn't be a problem to have it. I've now been drinking a glass in the evening, and the cramps have definitely become less bad.

I had cramp in my legs to and syatic in my second trimester however it stopped since I make sure I go for a walk every day to keep everything moving in your legs ie : blood flow and no fluid build up ..... I also sleep with a pillow under my ankles as my midwife said you are suppose to raise your legs as much as possible to keep blood flow again when on sofa I have a pillow under my legs to raise them to

since then I have had no problems with my legs and I am now 34 weeks and not even had swollen ankles or anything

might be something to try

I also suffered from really bad leg cramps at about 22/23weeks - had never had them before and couldn't believe how excruciating they were!! Ate more bananas and drank tonic water (not the same without gin ) but still experienced some cramps during the night. Luckily DH was very good at jumping up when I hit him to stretch my leg out for me!!! Have since learned to do it myself, as others have said, stretch your toes towards your knee.

I am now 28 weeks pregnant and haven't suffered any cramps in about 3 weeks, without supplements or bananas, so it's maybe just a short phase that most of us have to endure!!

Here is the NHS advice about quinnine ...
"Dear EmBlazes:

We asked toxicologists at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) about quinine in tonic water and here is their summary:

There is no official advice on the safety of quinine in tonic water in pregnancy, although the FSA recommends sticking to moderate consumption.

Quinine is available in 200g and 300g tablets for use medicinally as an antimalarial. Side effects, including uterine contractions, have been reported in women taking very high doses of quinine tablets, though the effect appears to be mild and quinine is considered to be safe for use in pregnancy as an anti-malaria drug.

Quinine in tonic water is at a much weaker level of approximately 80 mg quinine hydrochloride/L. The safety of quinine as a flavouring in soft drinks has been evaluated by independent expert committees including the WHO and they have concluded that it is safe to use at current levels up to a maximum of 100mg/L. The lowest level of intake at which an adverse effect was observed was an effect on eyesight at 120 mg/day which is equivalent to approximately 1.5 L tonic water.

Hope that helps,
Kathryn Bingham, NHS Choices editor"

From: www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx?tabname=Pregnancy#close
It is always best to take advice specific to the country you are in: vague advice on quinine doesn't take dose into account (an issue with all herbs/natural drugs and Dr Google) and the make-up of drinks and foods plus their storage really does vary country to country.

Basically you're fine to drink a glass or two a day! Just not a whole litre bottle!

I have found stretching by putting one leg behind, toes on the ground and bringing my heel down (so the stretch is in the back of the calf) before bed helps. Also sleeping with knees gently bent.
I drink quite a lot of milk at the moment, and feel this helps too.

Even i had the same problem during pregnancy. My instructor told to have lot water. it is common in second and third trimesters. I had come across the article while i was searching i thought of sharing this with you.

www.webmd.com/baby/leg-cramps-during-pregnancy-topic-overview