Leg pain and cramps second trimester

[Mamabearwhere]

Anyone else suffered / suffering with leg pains and cramps in 2nd or 3rd trimester? How do you deal with it and are there any remedies to relieve the pain? I’m 25 weeks and in the evenings the pain is so terrible from knee up to thighs that I struggle to fall asleep. I’ve tried salt baths and massage but no luck.

Oh gosh I feel for you, I had this severely in my last pregnancy. The only thing that seemed to ease it for me is putting pressure on my legs before bed so pushing them against the wall and drinking a whole glass of water. And when it happens drink water and your see it starts to dissappear. They never went completely until I had baby but those are the things that helped me x

Ah thanks for the tip @Rmw99 I will try that. Had my midwife just now and she said unfortunately nothing that can be done and most likely will get worse as the weeks go on. The joy.

I had very bad restless legs and aching legs during pregnancy. I've suffered from restless legs forever but it went next level in the 3rd trimester. Drinking tonic water was the only thing that really helped, for the quinine. My midwife recommended a 250ml glass but personally I needed much more, I used to drink around a litre every evening whilst pacing the living room!

I personally have always found it gets worse when I'm tired so resting is helpful and not going to bed too late. I get into a vicious cycle of staying up a bit too late then the legs kick in and I can sleep and end up even more exhausted. It was hard to break that cycle in pregnancy! When I really couldn't sleep with it a warm bath helped too.

Magnesium spray directly on legs

I started getting leg and foot cramp at the back end of the 2nd trimester, this week I started getting it when lifting weight in the gym too (29+2wk now). I used to eat a lot of bananas which are good for preventing it but gone off them this pregnancy, going to try forcing them down now though. I have some zinc and magnesium supplements which I'm also going to try adding in and see if it helps. Apparently deficiency in either of these can be a cause.

I am 31 weeks today and I was suffering with leg cramps almost every night a couple of weeks ago. I asked for similar advice to you on MumsNet and was told like @ElmtreeMama has mentioned to get some Magnesium spray to put on my legs after I got out of the shower / before bed. This is the one I have been using:

www.amazon.co.uk/BetterYou-Magnesium-Oil-Goodnight-Spray/dp/B002VPDX56/ref=asc_df_B002VPDX56/?hvlocphy=9046110&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=500779301910&hvpone&hvlocint&th=1&hvpos&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-729967446672&hvrand=14290925869071308530

I have also been doing some calf stretches every night before bed and making an extra effort to drink a lot more water. I haven't had a leg cramp for about a week now

I also asked my midwife for advice and as well as the above, she also said to make sure I am wearing flat supportive shoes.

Thank you so much ladies. I have ordered some magnesium spray now so hoping that will help. I’m literally dreading bedtime these days because I know the pain is going to be so awful.

@Mamabearwhere in both pregnancies I have suffered from cramps and restless legs when my iron levels have been low, it might be worth trying to up your iron intake but if it persists then you should get bloods taken at your 28 week appointment. I also found that rubbing creams into my legs and massaging them helped a little bit, i hope you feel more comfortable soon!

I’ve been getting really bad leg cramps the last week or so and I’m 28/29 weeks. I don’t think the heat has helped. I don’t have any tips though I’m afraid!

@Mamabearwhere Glad you ordered some! Hopefully that will help you. I was a bit sceptical with the spray at first but have been pleasantly surprised that it seems to be working so I really hope it works for you too! Don’t forget to do your stretches as well!