Terrible leg cramps at night - help!

[messylittlemonkey]

Hi there

I'm 30+4 with DC2 and have been getting more and more frequent bouts of leg cramp at night. I had this when pg with DC1 but not til the last few weeks. this time, I seem to have had it for months, although they are now happening every night, sometimes more than once.

I know this is normal and to be expected, but does anyone have any tips for avoiding it? They usually go pretty quickly, but it's a pain (literally) waking up in agony two or three times a night!

Hi I read somewhere recently that a lack of calcium can make leg cramps worse? Not sure if it's true, maybe someone else can confirm or not! But maybe increase in dairy may improve things? Hope you get some relief x

I know exactly what you mean unfortunately, I am 38weeks and wake up all times in the night with cramps all over my legs and bum! I find just doing a few yoga stretches usually helps just before Igo to bed. I hope this helps

Hi
I had some agonising night cramps in calves around week 36. I found eating a banana every day seemed to help! Maybe it was coincidence? But I think Bananas are high in potassium which can help with cramps (safe to eat bananas but supplements probably not a good idea unless specifically for pregnancy). Try a banana!

I had this terribly with my first dc and was advised to flex my foot upwards to avoid cramp when I started to feel it iykwim - this worked really well.

With my dd, I drank quite a lot of tonic water as it contains quinine and this is supposed to be good for avoiding cramp too.

Bionic is right - it's potassium you need, a banana a day should help. The last few weeks of my last pregnancy were awful for night cramps. I woke screaming in pain once, my husband nearly had a heart attack.

I'm 30 wks pg and I really hate this, I feel for you all. If not getting cramps, I've got restless legs. Together with the itching and the heartburn it's driving me nuts.

As low iron and calcium can be the culprits I've upped both and found some relief. I can't do the banana trick because of low blood pressure and any additional potassium seems to make that worse. Corr blimey, it's a real balancing act eh!

I've been getting cramp in the last two weeks. During that time, I did very little exercise, due to the snowy days! I think that was my reason for getting cramp at nights. I started doing gentle stretches and walks for 30 minutes about twice a week and I'm better now. No cramp at moment. Also, gentle message on the calves is soothing (upwards towards your body) and you can do it when you are watching TV.

I started getting terrible calf cramps at night around 30 weeks (the wake up screaming in pain ones like lazyemma). I started taking a supplement containing calcium, magnesium and vit D (just a Holland and Barrett one) before bed and haven't had any further cramps. Stretching for me makes it worse.

Take a magnesium supplement, eat a banana, and stretch out your legs before you go to bed. Worked a treat for me!

Have milk as well as a banana

I had terrible leg cramps, was told by mw to try tonic water (not slimline, it needs to have quinine in it). I have no idea how it works but it really helped me, probably worth a try?

Sorry just realised I repeated what LL said