How to Get Rid of Pregnancy Leg Cramps
How to Get Rid of Pregnancy Leg Cramps
As if you don't have enough to worry about with babyproofing, peeing all night, and Braxton Hicks contractions, you may have discovered by now the joys of pregnancy leg cramps.
One minute you're in bed, trying to sleep, minding your own business, and the next – shocking, tingling pain shooting up your leg or deep into your foot. What gives? Is there anything you can do to help get rid of leg cramps during pregnancy?
What Causes Leg Cramps in Pregnancy?
We do know that leg cramps, or pregnancy charley horses, are an involuntary spasming of calf muscles, often happening at night, and it's a very common occurrence during pregnancy.
And of course, “they” don't really know WHY they occur! Groan...
Here are the theories:
Fatigue
Weight of the uterus pressing on your nerves
Magnesium deficiency
More pressure on blood vessels in the legs
Leg muscle stress from increased weight
How to Get Rid of Leg Cramps...
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help relieve the leg cramps when they happen – and even discourage them from happening at all.
Drink plenty of water. Staying well-hydrated is really good for your muscles. If you want to maximize hydration, try drinking some of this yummy homemade electrolye water!
Massage the area. Firm strokes can help relieve the pain and reduce the longevity of the cramp.
Flex your toes up. You might have to hop out of bed to get it to work. Stand on the floor and raise yourself up on your toes on the affected leg or foot. (Put your hand on the wall for balance!)
Use a hot water bottle. Placing a hot water bottle, heating pad, rice sock, or similar item on the area is very soothing to cramping muscles.
...Or Stop Them Before They Happen!
Avoid pointing your toes, which can actually cause a cramp or make it worse. This can happen when you're getting comfy in bed, doing yoga, or swimming in a pool, so be mindful of foot positioning.
Do some gentle foot and leg flexes and stretches before bed, to [hopefully] get all nice and stretched out before trying to sleep. A foam roller gently used on your legs might even be helpful for this!
Avoid sitting down or standing up in one place for too long. Take brief walks around at work, and don't be embarrassed about bringing a stool around if you have to stand in a line.
Take a magnesium supplement. Most Americans are magnesium deficient anyway, and magnesium is like a magic pregnancy substance (it helps with not only leg cramps, but also stress, constipation, and insomnia!). Look into an easy to use calcium-magnesium drink such as Natural Calm, or ask your doctor or midwife if they have a supplement they recommend for you. We also highly recommend using a magnesium lotion on your legs, as this is a gentle and highly absorbable form of getting your supplements in.
When you take our private Wichita childbirth class, you will learn all about pregnancy leg cramps, heartburn, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, stretch marks, varicose veins...and everything else you need to know about doing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with as little stress as possible! Click here to schedule your childbirth class – choose the full eight hour curriculum, or the three hour crash course.
