Leg Cramp advice anyone?

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Hiya, I am 7 months, and have started getting cramp in my right calf everynight. Although it only lasts a few minutes, it aches like mad all day! I drive on the motorway to work, and I'm terified it will happen in the car, as It starts getting hot and tight whilst driving.
Has anyone got any tips on how to stop it?
My poor fella keeps getting woken up in the early hours by me rolling around the bed rubbing my leg !! LOL
I didn't have it at all with my first, but my sister has told me it is very common?

I was getting these really badly for a while - also in the middle of the night! I didn't find it particularly funny at the time but in retrospect the sight of a 30 weeks pregnant woman leaping out of bed, hopping up and down and swearing must have been quite amusing... DH never admitted it though. They seem to have eased off now, weirdly.

They are very common in pregnancy and there are various theories as to what you can take to help - Calcium supplements is one, also bananas before bed (potassium), and I've also read that some people find drinking tonic water helps?! You should also try to move your legs around in a circular motion to flex the muscle in the evening.

I found tomato juice helps,but don't know the science behind it

I wouldn't worry too much about it happening when driving, by all accounts and in my experience the cramps only seem to happen during the night. Presumably something to do with being horizontal and still for so long?

I find that stretching out and pointing my toes seems to be what brings the cramps on. Try stretching out but pushing your heels down instead, that tends not to bring on cramps for me but still have that nice stretchy feeling, especially first thing in the morning.

If cramps do occur, then send the signals to bring the toe end of your foot upwards, towards the knee. Feels a bit weird initially, but I find this is the fastest way to 'unlock' the cramp. Can normally release the pressure in a second or two and doesn't require scrambling out of bed and hopping around crazily! Getting rid of it quickly also means there are no lasting effects during the day with the muscle aching.

Drinking milk and eating bananas (not necessarily together) is also reputed to help, but I tend to find I get cramps regardless of what I eat. Started getting them in my teens when AF showed up, and now get them during pregnancy too! But hey, I figure there are worse things I could be suffering from. Cramps I can deal with.

Magnesium - magnesium stops it! I too was suffering terribly till I started taking more magnesium!

How much magnesium you need (from babycenter - www.babycenter.com/0_magnesium-in-your-pregnancy-diet_659.bc)

"Pregnant women, 19 to 30 years of age: 350 milligrams (mg) of magnesium per day
Pregnant, 18 and younger: 400 mg
Pregnant, 31 and older: 360 mg
Breastfeeding women, 19 to 30: 310 mg
Breastfeeding, 18 and younger: 360 mg
Breastfeeding, 31 and older: 320 mg

You don't have to get the recommended amount of magnesium every day. Instead, aim for that amount as an average over the course of a few days or a week."

Take a magnesium supplement to be on the safe side. Count up how much magnesium is already in your prenatal multi-vit and take just enough extra to not take it above however many mgs is recommended for your age range. Hope this helps

Thanks everyone, I have figured out when I'm about to get it, so sneak outta bed, and stretch my legs before it happens. This seems to work at the minute, as havn't had it all weekend!!
Fingers ( and legs) crossed x

I have heard that putting a wine cork under your pillow at night! old wives tale but worth a try