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Pregnancy

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

Original poster

HELP ME - Restless legs im at my wits end

22 replies

hodgepodgepanda · 06/03/2015 21:27

36+5 so almost their .

I have really bad restless legs to the point where I'm up most nights crying because of it .
I dont have low iron etc so cant be because of that , i dont know what to do im not able to sleep , a hot water bottle eases it slightly
Is their anything at all i can do

OP posts:
whataterriblefuss · 06/03/2015 21:34

Poor you - I know how you feel.

On the plus side - it may disappear once the baby is born - I had it for years before my pregnancy, and then it has disappeared pretty much!

I found that really stretching out my legs helped a bit - tense all your muscles for as long as you can, then relax - and repeat for a couple of minutes at a time. Other than that, a LOT of walking during the day seemed to make a difference as well. I have also heard that squats can help, but not sure how tricky that could be at 36 weeks....Grin

yummymango · 06/03/2015 21:37

Are you taking good pregnancy vitamins? I had it bad in my first pregnancy but started taking prenatal vits and it disappeared almost overnight.

Original poster
hodgepodgepanda · 06/03/2015 21:40

Can't stretch my legs out as then my leg kinda pops n I'm in agony Confused

I'm on vitamins by they don't help

OP posts:
pocketsized · 06/03/2015 21:42

Some people swear by bananas, due to the potassium in them. Might be worth a try...

NotMyUserName · 06/03/2015 21:43

I had this, it's awful and you have my sympathy. I had an EmCS with DD1 and I was given surgical socks afterwards which I found really helped. So in the later months of pg with DD2 and 3, I bought some and they really helped. I did check with my midwife first and she said it was ok, another midwife who was present when I asked (think she was a student) said support tights helped with restless legs too but I really didn't fancy sleeping in tights, and they probably don't make them big enough for my giant bumps anyway Grin If you want to try the socks please check with your own midwife first though.

Hope you find a solution.

Original poster
hodgepodgepanda · 06/03/2015 21:48

I'll ask about socks on monday when I see my midwife .

Don't like bananas , sorry

I dont know why but walking seems to make it worse Confused

OP posts:
ashtrayheart · 06/03/2015 21:53

A warm bath before bed used to help a bit. I remember it went when each baby was born but it's horrible you have my sympathy.

NotMyUserName · 06/03/2015 21:54

Walking made mine worse too, unfortunately I had to walk quite a lot at work. I think I actually bought flight socks, pretty much the same thing I believe, and they are a PITA to put on (esp if you have a large bump) but oh the relief!

clr2014 · 06/03/2015 21:56

tonic water is supposed to help ( i can't remember the name of the vital ingredient - begins with Q maybe?)

321zerobaby · 06/03/2015 22:01

Magnesium. Helps relax muscles and muscle twitching. You can buy it in a liquid form, the same people that make Floradix.

GertrudeBell · 06/03/2015 22:02

I had this. Drove me wild - poor you OP. The two things which helped were:

  1. Orgasm Blush. Sounds a cliche, but the tension would go and I'd drop off straight to sleep afterwards. I think I've seen others give that advice too.
  1. Getting in a cold bed. Less successful than option 1 but there was something about cool sheets which made me go into hibernation.
Original poster
hodgepodgepanda · 06/03/2015 22:26

Thanks for all the tips , I'll be trying every single one , I need my sleep lol

OP posts:
CliveCussler · 06/03/2015 22:31

Get your iron levels checked. I get terrible jumpy legs when my iron levels are low.

BeetlebumShesAGun · 06/03/2015 22:34

I had this awfully when pregnant with DD, and still get it occasionally now. I actually second Gertrudes tip Blush but also, a hot water bottle under my knees helped. At the end of my tether I would go and stand on the lawn with the cool grass under my feet.

Hope it feels better soon OP! My DP still doesn't believe it is an actual thing Angry

Cornberry · 07/03/2015 00:18

You have my sympathy. I've had this for years and it's horrible. While scouring the Internet for remedies I read a post by someone saying it was due to dehydration. So try drinking a big glass of water before bed and keep hydrated. I found this helped. Good luck xx

Original poster
hodgepodgepanda · 07/03/2015 00:27

Thanks for tip on dehydration , im always been told i dont drink enough

Still working on the others ....

OP posts:
FlorisApple · 07/03/2015 05:51

I had this terribly and it was literally keeping me up all night, but I seem to have completely cured it by a combination of these things:

  1. Absolutely no caffeine - really hard when you're so tired from not sleeping, but I find if I have even one cup of tea it affects my legs that night.
  1. Floradix for iron (but you've said you're not low in iron, so maybe not in your case.)
  1. Magnesium supplement - definitely helps with leg cramps and seems to make a difference to the kicking legs too.
  1. Wash my feet in the bath before I go to bed - warm, but not too hot water - I've read that hot baths make it worse, but seems like others on here have had success with hot water bottles so who knows? It's weird, but washing my feet just before I get into bed really seems to work.
  1. Tonic water - I am drinking copious amounts and it really seems to have an effect. The quinine in it (get proper Schwepps or similar) is apparently an anti-inflammatory and it has helped immensely. (Preg women used to be prescribed quinine, but that is now not advised, however, you'd have to drink a lot of tonic to reach the levels in the tablets.)
PonyMcBony · 07/03/2015 07:41

I had this when pregnant and the only thing that worked was a bar of soap under the sheet- I have no idea how it works or if it's psychological but it did!

comeagainforbigfudge · 07/03/2015 09:32

I feel your pain. I have restless legs at times anyway but has got a bit worse a times

So list of things that have helped me are:
Glass of water before bed
Walk/stand on cold surface for few mins
A rennie tablet
Then a wee glass of tonic water, when I say wee I mean about 200mls. (With some diluting juice to make it more palatable)

Sometimes a salty cracker or salty crisps help

Oh and the bar of soap thing works as well!! Again no idea why but it does!!

Ladymoods · 07/03/2015 09:36

Actually orgasms worked for me too. Used my vibrator so much when I was pregnant that I'm surprised my son doesn't have tinnitus.

Whitetara · 07/03/2015 14:10

You have my sympathy as well. I am plagued by this often together with breathlessness.

I've found that an orgasm works as does some hot milk - most times but not every. I swear tonic water has no effect if not making it worse for me.

Finally the restless legs association has a section on pregnancy and has some exercises to do. They are a bit like cool down exercises after a work out. They do give you a nice stretch though and help a bit too.

WilsonWilsonWoman · 07/03/2015 17:05

Thirding orgasms over here! If I do it before sleep sorts me out for the night, absolute bliss. I use a magic wand type thing and I absolutely swear by it!

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