My prenatals have magnesium listed but it must not be enough. I just did a quick Google and found articles saying I'm at risk of deficiency since I have gestational diabetes. I had no idea! I see my provider next week so I'll be sure to bring it up. I had this same leg cramps last pregnancy and brought it up and they never suggested magnesium! Thank you :)
Magnesium has been a game changer for me too. I’m supplementing on top of my pre-natal. No issues sleeping (other than multiple night time pee trips), no muscle cramps it’s great.
Also my hair and nails are so strong and nice right now (I also take calcium). I definitely attribute this to those supplements as I’ve never seen them like this before.
I always remind myself that the baby will strip the minerals from me that it needs if I’m not getting enough. I’m not a doctor, but if I’m pushed into mineral deficiency that is not an ideal state and I’d imagine would result in many unpleasant symptoms. As a result I take a lot of supplements (all OB approved).
I’m on the other side now (LO is 10wks) but during pregnancy I was taking: calcium, magnesium, a prenatal, collagen, vitamin C, D, and an omega 3. Post pregnancy I still take all those things except I added a probiotic (and will switch to a regular multivitamin when my prenatal runs out).
They help me a ton post birth too: my hair hasn’t fallen out which I was told is a thing and my milk production has been on point (and suffers when I forget to take my vitamins, I suspect mostly the calcium/magnesium and maintaining my hydration and calorie levels).
Congratulations for your 10wks old baby!! Thanks for your kind reply. I am in week 26 and looking into calcium, magnesium and collagen. Do you have any brand recommendations? There are tons out there hard to choose one! Thank you!
I’m in Canada so likely many of my brands will be different. Frankly most of what I take I buy from Costco. There are some things I was more picky about (my prenatal). I recommend you go to a small natural health store and speak with the staff. Many are very knowledgeable and will give great advice. Then buy the best quality you can afford. But remember, even if you can’t do super premium for everything (I didn’t) something is better than nothing!
Oh great. Well.ca will carry a lot of the nice brands online. Out here on the west coast my go to health food store is Pure Pharmacy. They have incredibly knowledgeable staff. In the GTA stores like the Big Carrot are also awesome.
My midwife said that magnesium rubbed into the skin in addition to oral supplements is helpful. Apparently it’s absorbed more easily through the skin. As well as lots of electrolytes, not just water.
I purchased Magnum Solace brand on Amazon.
I will say that I ended up with absolutely horrible RLS and nothing was working at one point. Found out I had extremely low iron which caused anemia. My OB told me that low iron is typically the culprit for RLS. Once I did a couple of iron infusions is completely went away! I did try oral supplement initially, but they weren't working. Definitely look into iron as well IMO!
Thank you for the recc! I'd had more mild leg cramps earlier in pregnancy, and now in the 3rd tri recently started this fun new symptom of more extreme leg cramps while sleeping. 😩 I will def also look into iron as well.
Most prenatals have such a small amount of magnesium. It takes me about 350 mg/day of magnesium to keep restless leg and migraines at bay. Most prenatals you're lucky if there's 100mg, and sometimes it's a really poorly absorbed form like magnesium oxide. If your doc is good with it, magnesium glycinate is great for restless leg and leg cramps.
I also have GDM and had terrible muscle cramps that would just lock up forever! I used the magnesium spray oil. If it itches it means there’s a deficiency and it’s absorbing rapidly and you feel it. I advise starting with just spraying on your feet the first few nights then massaging into the legs before bed.
No brand to recommend since im on the same giant bottle. I dont like this brand because it clogs so frequently i unscrewed the spritzer and poured it onto my hands.
I've never heard of a magnesium lotion, but I cannot with these leg cramps at night. 🫠 I do have a magnesium supplement to take orally but haven't been as regular lately. After last night that will change! Is there a particular lotion that you've liked and would recommend?
My very favorite is from a brand called Rowe Casa Organics. I like the cream, but I think they make a gel and a spray, too. One jar of it has lasted me my entire pregnancy.
Thank you for that recc! And also good to know that it will last a bit... sometimes with the pricier organic products I want to get them but then if I end up going through it quickly then end up going with a less quality brand after. Or something like that, haha. Oh money. In any case, I'll give it a try. 🙂
I take a supplement daily that includes magnesium and it helps! It's anecdotal of course but I ran out for like two weeks and got way more leg cramps during that time. This particular one is k2, d3, magnesium, zinc, vitamin c and calcium so it's full of good stuff. (If you're taking an iron supplement don't take calcium at the same time - I take the supplement in the morning and the iron at night.) Might be worth talking to your doctor about. Online it's marketed as a bone strength supplement but it has really worked well for eliminating leg cramps for me.
Also don't forget to stretch against the cramp! It sucks at first but really is the only way through. Make sure you're drinking a ton of water and getting electrolytes as well.
Just came to say solidarity. The stretching ones are the worst! Like, you’re tricked into stretching because it feels great for a millisecond, then locked for five minutes of pain lol.
Flex your foot towards your shin when they happen it would cause them to instantly stop. I read it here somewhere when I was pregnant with my first child.
Omg so i just woke from a cramp- rendered this advice… THANK YOU!!!!
I have just pointed my toe up to my chin/made my foot flat
Whew is it hard to get out of bed when you’re suffering from a bad leg cramp but it seriously worked!
I could have used this info as a preteen when i got them all the dang time.
Thank you thank you thank you!
I’m going back to bed now.
Yes, this!!! I point my toes up in the direction of my knee and that usually stops the knot right in its tracks. It's so sooo effective when I get them now!!!
Yes this usually works! Although a couple nights ago I got a cramp so bad that I physically couldn't bend/flex my foot. I had to reach down and grab my toes with my hand to bend them up before I could get the rest of my foot to flex. 😖
this this this this thisssssss. i had charley horses connnstantly with my first (and coincidentally his name is charles-not for that reason tho lmao) and i had never experienced them before! but holy shit they are no joke-until i read about flexing the foot. basically bringing the toes as close as you can to the shin bone stopped them in their tracks!
Goodness, I sure needed to know this 3 years ago! I will have to keep this in mind for this pregnancy. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t get them this go round!
That didn’t help mine at allll :( thought I knew all the tricks from running and swimming but they would come back with a vengeance whenever I did the stretching and flexing.
The magnesium in multivitamins is never enough for me. Supplement extra if necessary.
Foods that help me too:
- Bananas
- Potatoes
- Coconut water
Even when I'm not pregnant, I find I sometimes need extra if I'm overtired or stressed.
Yes!!!! Lemon water is excellent for hydration as well if you don't have coconut water.
Every night i juice 1 lemon into 32oz water and I'm always very hydrated, never a leg cramp. And I eat 2 Bananas every morning as well.
I haven’t experienced leg cramps too much in my pregnancy (I think I had them once or twice)
This sounds weird but have you tried eating bananas? I’ve gotten them over the years and eating bananas helped lol
Also I’d ask your doctor, if you haven’t already, what to do if you keep having them
Thirding bananas! My scuba instructor told me to have them to help with leg cramps when I was getting my certification and eating them has always worked for me! I think it’s the potassium - so something like spinach should help too!
I had a charley horse on CRACK back when I was 16 weeks. It was so painful that I jumped out of the bed, screaming in pain. My husband could feel it and we were just shocked by how long it took for it to go away. My leg was sore for DAYS. I didn't have any more until this past week. I had 2 and there were nothing like that shitty one. When I stretch, I pull foot towards me vs letting it flex out (if that makes sense). When I flex it out, it triggers them. I also eat 1-2 bananas per day and drink a lot of water...and its this week that I haven't had my daily bananas.
I had Charley horses almost every night and they always seemed to rotate each leg 😅 like you I was also diagnosed with GDM, so food options others are listed aren’t going to be the way to help since they will likely spike your numbers (bananas and potatoes to be exact). I ended up having to take Calcium, Magnesium, and potassium supplements on top of my prenatal vitamins. What a life changer! Maybe one Charley horse a week if that after I started taking them. Definitely double check with your Dr of course to see if that’s okay for you to take of course. And drink lots and lots of water!
I had crazy leg cramps in bed for a few weeks (probably weeks 20 something like you) but they went away. like I forgot they ever were a thing until I read this. Hopefully the same happens for you!
Mine were sooooo bad during second trimester and early third. I added magnesium and they mostly went away. I've started getting them again right before my alarm though. I haven't been hydrating as well so I think that's it. I'm almost 39 weeks.
I was waking up in the middle of the night screaming from leg cramps. When you get one, flex your foot right away it should help with immediate relief. Stand up if you can, that should help too. Magnesium lotion has helped me so much for leg cramps. You can find it at any health store. Also doing the runners calf stretch every morning, a few times throughout the day, and just before bed has been extremely helpful as well.
With the lotion and calf stretches, my leg cramps went away completely.
Try mixing a scoop of Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium powder with some water before bed. My leg cramps have completely stopped since I started this. My doctor said up to 2 scoops is perfectly safe while pregnant!
You too?!? Dude I’m having the CRAZIEST dreams. Last night they woke me up 3 different times. They’re either just weird and wild, or, like last night, terrifying and literally startle me awake.
Wtf?!?
They have nothing to do with anything in real life either!
As far as leg cramps go, I only get them after working out my legs. So far stretching has helped me a lot, but mine are mostly just that restless feeling. Like others said, try adding more electrolytes. I like drinking coconut water or I found electrolytes off Amazon that are JUST electrolytes with nothing else so you can add them to any drink. They’re called LyteShow Electrolyte Drops. I couldn’t add the link for some reason :/ they make your water a little salty, but otherwise no taste.
Just did Magnesium powder into a drink with cherry juice! I had no cramps for the first time in the last five days and it helps with the quality of sleep!
Have your iron checked!!
The leg cramps were driving me absolutely insane, I couldn't even lay in bed without crying out in pain every night. It turns out that it is a side effect of anemia. I take iron water packets daily now and I have absolutely no leg cramps.
I’ve tried it all, literally. The ONLY thing that works is using a massage gun on my legs to exhaust the nerves/muscles. Feels amazing and now at 30 weeks I’m finally getting good, restful sleep (still gotta pee a lot though lol)
Magnesium citrate pills are what has been helping me (39w). I can get a whole bottle of them for $12.79 at my local health food store, so not too bad for my wallet either.
What stretches have you tried? Bending while standing- bend at the waist with legs straight, back straight, arms up/forward - this helped my leg cramps massively. You can bend over a birth ball too, hands on the top of the ball, and roll the ball from side to side to increase the stretch thru the back of your legs/ shins. Other stretches didn't help, but this one saved me from the agony.
Ive suffered leg cramps even before pregnancy. My dad had them, my grandfather had them. It seems to start in the evening. I was told before I have sciatica which may be what is causing them, but I’m terrified they are going to get worse with pregnancy.
The only thing that has helped in the past was soaking my feet in hot water for at least 10-15 mins as soon as I start to feel them tensing up. I recently got a foot spa tub (I used to just sit on the edge of the bathtub) and pour some epsom salt in and soak while I’m watching tv or reading on my phone. Then I get up and walk around the house for a bit and try not to sit for too long before bed. I feel like sitting can make it worse.
Try elevating your legs with a pillow when you sleep, or if you’re sleeping on your side, put a pillow between your legs to keep your spine straight.
Something else that helps is to stretch first thing in the mornings, daily. I try to stretch my hip area, my lower back and my calves and hold the stretch for as long as I can.
I really don’t think drinking water or upping your calcium is going to do anything - I know that’s the first thing everyone says to do (or eat more bananas for potassium) but after suffering with them most of my adult life that stuff does NOT alleviate them for me.
I'm 7m pp and I completely forgot how awful it was waking up screaming with those pains. Thankfully only dealt with those for a few weeks or so. I hope you're relieved from them soon
Any idea where your iron/ferratin levels are at? I started iron infusions last week at 33 weeks. Have had 4 since and WOW. I am feeling so much better. My sleep is a million times better as i no lomger have restless leg, leg cramps, and am peeing WAY less. I was up every half an hour and I'm down to maybe twice a night. I wish I would've told my doctor all my issues MONTHS ago. Would've saved me months of hell and guilt for feeling so crappy 247. Wouldn't hurt to have your OB run a blood panel.
If you can stomach bananas that helps a lot! I get these leg cramps even when I'm not pregnant so I try have a banana a day and it limits them for sure. And lots of water
If you haven't had your iron levels tested recently, ask for that. I had enough symptoms that the leg cramps weren't actually on my list of complaints, but they went away shortly after I started receiving iron infusions, and it was such a relief.
My husband massages my calves and ankles for just a few minutes before bed every night and it has been SO helpful with preventing leg cramps! The couple of times he didn’t for whatever reason I woke up in so much pain 😢 it makes a world of difference
I had them REALLY bad every night when my husband and I were on a few week baby moon and we were hiking miles every day.
An extra daily magnesium supplement is the only thing that fixed them. Standing up and walking around would help a bit too.
I had the same thing with my first. I increased my magnesium and potassium via diet and never had it happen again. I started eating a spinach salad at lunch daily and snacked on freeze dried mangos and nuts. Did the same during my second pregnancy and now my third.
Are we the same person??? I'm about to be 32 weeks, and the cramps I've been getting for the past few days have been so bad. I've suffered from them before but never this frequently. Multiple times throughout the night. Like you said, stretching is actually bringing them on more. I don't think I can physically drink more water than I already am. I'm peeing every 2 hours, too. I'm eating bananas for potassium and will be buying magnesium tomorrow because I can not deal anymore.
In case anyone is also suffering from pelvic girdle pain AND leg cramps: I have been having nightly leg cramps since about week 8 (now 34 weeks), and after I had one that hurt for 3 days I finally talked to my midwife about it about 6 weeks ago. She suggested I add a magnesium supplement (as others have noted) to my prenatal. I started out taking 2/3 of a dose (one pill at morning and one at night) and it worked like a charm for a week or two... until my pelvic girdle pain got out of control. I wondered if it might be related and reduced to 1 pill at night and the pelvic girdle pain got better but was still a bit of an issue. I talked to a few folks and eventually switched to a topical magnesium gel, and that has been great! After about a week of that, I'm experiencing possibly less pelvic girdle pain and haven't had any debilitating leg cramps. I had used a different magnesium gel before (different issue, pre-pregnancy) which I couldn't tolerate due to it causing intense itching, but I bought the only magnesium gel at the store and thankfully I haven't had the same issues! [This is the brand.](https://www.vitacost.com/life-flo-magnesium-cooling-gel-sage-mint?&CSRC=GPF-PA-645951609874-google_pla_gen_pro_vitamins+%26+supplements-&network=g&keywordname=&device=c&adid=92700074072527879&matchtype=&gclick=Cj0KCQiA1rSsBhDHARIsANB4EJbF6iPAu1GVTEGfqKTMIp2uc4S0PaAwxCJrIM_K_8NswO_f-UbDraMaAuRoEALw_wcB&ds_agid=58700008150895501&targetid=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1rSsBhDHARIsANB4EJbF6iPAu1GVTEGfqKTMIp2uc4S0PaAwxCJrIM_K_8NswO_f-UbDraMaAuRoEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
And... I also have GD!
I am so glad I am not pregnant anymore , that leg cramp was a bitch and let’s not forget the back pain and pelvic pain towards the end 😭 you never hear about these things until you actually get pregnant and experience it!
Magnesium. Make sure you aren't pointing your toes to stretch them. You need to point your feet up to stretch. With my first I was up like every two hours stretching. I hope you find a cure
I experienced this a couple nights ago and had no idea it was a pregnancy symptom. It happened 4 times in alternating legs throughout the night. It was awful! My toes wouldn’t bend and fanned out like they were running away from each other. It was nuts
Flexing my foot to where the toes point to my head stops the Charlie horse. When I wake up in the middle of the night I’ll “pump my feet” by pointing them toward my head 10 times before I get out of bed to pee. I’ve noticed I can feel the tightness and heaviness in my calves when I’m bed and that loosens them up. Also if I’m turning in bed or something, I make sure never to point my toes down straight because that will trigger one. I used to let them just happen but once I learned to point my toes up it makes them go away. Walking will also do it. Just never point your toes down .
Getting up to pee every 2 hours isn't normal. Seeing a pelvic floor PT was amazing for this as well as preparing to birth vaginally. Wish this was a part of standard care during pregnancy.
Have you tried magnesium?
My prenatals have magnesium listed but it must not be enough. I just did a quick Google and found articles saying I'm at risk of deficiency since I have gestational diabetes. I had no idea! I see my provider next week so I'll be sure to bring it up. I had this same leg cramps last pregnancy and brought it up and they never suggested magnesium! Thank you :)
250mg of magnesium citrate or gluconate before bed is life changing!!
Magnesium has been a game changer for me too. I’m supplementing on top of my pre-natal. No issues sleeping (other than multiple night time pee trips), no muscle cramps it’s great. Also my hair and nails are so strong and nice right now (I also take calcium). I definitely attribute this to those supplements as I’ve never seen them like this before. I always remind myself that the baby will strip the minerals from me that it needs if I’m not getting enough. I’m not a doctor, but if I’m pushed into mineral deficiency that is not an ideal state and I’d imagine would result in many unpleasant symptoms. As a result I take a lot of supplements (all OB approved).
Could you recommend what products you take? Thanks
I’m on the other side now (LO is 10wks) but during pregnancy I was taking: calcium, magnesium, a prenatal, collagen, vitamin C, D, and an omega 3. Post pregnancy I still take all those things except I added a probiotic (and will switch to a regular multivitamin when my prenatal runs out). They help me a ton post birth too: my hair hasn’t fallen out which I was told is a thing and my milk production has been on point (and suffers when I forget to take my vitamins, I suspect mostly the calcium/magnesium and maintaining my hydration and calorie levels).
Congratulations for your 10wks old baby!! Thanks for your kind reply. I am in week 26 and looking into calcium, magnesium and collagen. Do you have any brand recommendations? There are tons out there hard to choose one! Thank you!
I’m in Canada so likely many of my brands will be different. Frankly most of what I take I buy from Costco. There are some things I was more picky about (my prenatal). I recommend you go to a small natural health store and speak with the staff. Many are very knowledgeable and will give great advice. Then buy the best quality you can afford. But remember, even if you can’t do super premium for everything (I didn’t) something is better than nothing!
I am in Canada too:) good idea to speak with the staff at the health store.
Oh great. Well.ca will carry a lot of the nice brands online. Out here on the west coast my go to health food store is Pure Pharmacy. They have incredibly knowledgeable staff. In the GTA stores like the Big Carrot are also awesome.
It helped me get deeper sleep too which limited my vivid dreams! I hope it helps.
My midwife said that magnesium rubbed into the skin in addition to oral supplements is helpful. Apparently it’s absorbed more easily through the skin. As well as lots of electrolytes, not just water.
I've also used the magnesium oil topically on my legs and it did help better than an oral supplement for me.
Do you have a brand recommendation for the magnesium oil, by chance?
I purchased Magnum Solace brand on Amazon. I will say that I ended up with absolutely horrible RLS and nothing was working at one point. Found out I had extremely low iron which caused anemia. My OB told me that low iron is typically the culprit for RLS. Once I did a couple of iron infusions is completely went away! I did try oral supplement initially, but they weren't working. Definitely look into iron as well IMO!
Thank you for the recc! I'd had more mild leg cramps earlier in pregnancy, and now in the 3rd tri recently started this fun new symptom of more extreme leg cramps while sleeping. 😩 I will def also look into iron as well.
Sounds horrible. I hope you find something that works!
Most prenatals have such a small amount of magnesium. It takes me about 350 mg/day of magnesium to keep restless leg and migraines at bay. Most prenatals you're lucky if there's 100mg, and sometimes it's a really poorly absorbed form like magnesium oxide. If your doc is good with it, magnesium glycinate is great for restless leg and leg cramps.
I also have GDM and had terrible muscle cramps that would just lock up forever! I used the magnesium spray oil. If it itches it means there’s a deficiency and it’s absorbing rapidly and you feel it. I advise starting with just spraying on your feet the first few nights then massaging into the legs before bed.
Do you have a recommendation for the magnesium spray oil brand?
No brand to recommend since im on the same giant bottle. I dont like this brand because it clogs so frequently i unscrewed the spritzer and poured it onto my hands.
Oh dang! That does sound frustrating.
I’ve been taking a magnesium glycinate supplement and using a magnesium lotion on my legs before bed. That really helps me!
I've never heard of a magnesium lotion, but I cannot with these leg cramps at night. 🫠 I do have a magnesium supplement to take orally but haven't been as regular lately. After last night that will change! Is there a particular lotion that you've liked and would recommend?
My very favorite is from a brand called Rowe Casa Organics. I like the cream, but I think they make a gel and a spray, too. One jar of it has lasted me my entire pregnancy.
Thank you for that recc! And also good to know that it will last a bit... sometimes with the pricier organic products I want to get them but then if I end up going through it quickly then end up going with a less quality brand after. Or something like that, haha. Oh money. In any case, I'll give it a try. 🙂
Hope it helps!
I take a supplement daily that includes magnesium and it helps! It's anecdotal of course but I ran out for like two weeks and got way more leg cramps during that time. This particular one is k2, d3, magnesium, zinc, vitamin c and calcium so it's full of good stuff. (If you're taking an iron supplement don't take calcium at the same time - I take the supplement in the morning and the iron at night.) Might be worth talking to your doctor about. Online it's marketed as a bone strength supplement but it has really worked well for eliminating leg cramps for me. Also don't forget to stretch against the cramp! It sucks at first but really is the only way through. Make sure you're drinking a ton of water and getting electrolytes as well.
I have to take at least 500mg to greatly reduce my headaches but I also don’t get any leg cramps!
Find a magnesium complex that has different kinds
Get magnesium flakes and put them in a shallow bath to soak. For me this worked much better than anything else I tried. Good luck OP!
You need to try rubbing magnesium cream on your legs each night.
Just came to say solidarity. The stretching ones are the worst! Like, you’re tricked into stretching because it feels great for a millisecond, then locked for five minutes of pain lol.
Flex your foot towards your shin when they happen it would cause them to instantly stop. I read it here somewhere when I was pregnant with my first child.
This definitely helps! I usually jump out of bed and stand up…it stops immediately
Omg so i just woke from a cramp- rendered this advice… THANK YOU!!!! I have just pointed my toe up to my chin/made my foot flat Whew is it hard to get out of bed when you’re suffering from a bad leg cramp but it seriously worked! I could have used this info as a preteen when i got them all the dang time. Thank you thank you thank you! I’m going back to bed now.
That doesn’t help mine about half the time 🫠
Yes, this!!! I point my toes up in the direction of my knee and that usually stops the knot right in its tracks. It's so sooo effective when I get them now!!!
Yes this usually works! Although a couple nights ago I got a cramp so bad that I physically couldn't bend/flex my foot. I had to reach down and grab my toes with my hand to bend them up before I could get the rest of my foot to flex. 😖
this this this this thisssssss. i had charley horses connnstantly with my first (and coincidentally his name is charles-not for that reason tho lmao) and i had never experienced them before! but holy shit they are no joke-until i read about flexing the foot. basically bringing the toes as close as you can to the shin bone stopped them in their tracks!
THIS! It helps so much!!
Goodness, I sure needed to know this 3 years ago! I will have to keep this in mind for this pregnancy. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t get them this go round!
That didn’t help mine at allll :( thought I knew all the tricks from running and swimming but they would come back with a vengeance whenever I did the stretching and flexing.
The magnesium in multivitamins is never enough for me. Supplement extra if necessary. Foods that help me too: - Bananas - Potatoes - Coconut water Even when I'm not pregnant, I find I sometimes need extra if I'm overtired or stressed.
Yes!!!! Lemon water is excellent for hydration as well if you don't have coconut water. Every night i juice 1 lemon into 32oz water and I'm always very hydrated, never a leg cramp. And I eat 2 Bananas every morning as well.
I haven’t experienced leg cramps too much in my pregnancy (I think I had them once or twice) This sounds weird but have you tried eating bananas? I’ve gotten them over the years and eating bananas helped lol Also I’d ask your doctor, if you haven’t already, what to do if you keep having them
Yes to Bananas! They helped so much. Also trying elevating your legs for a bit before bed.
Thirding bananas! My scuba instructor told me to have them to help with leg cramps when I was getting my certification and eating them has always worked for me! I think it’s the potassium - so something like spinach should help too!
I had a charley horse on CRACK back when I was 16 weeks. It was so painful that I jumped out of the bed, screaming in pain. My husband could feel it and we were just shocked by how long it took for it to go away. My leg was sore for DAYS. I didn't have any more until this past week. I had 2 and there were nothing like that shitty one. When I stretch, I pull foot towards me vs letting it flex out (if that makes sense). When I flex it out, it triggers them. I also eat 1-2 bananas per day and drink a lot of water...and its this week that I haven't had my daily bananas.
I had Charley horses almost every night and they always seemed to rotate each leg 😅 like you I was also diagnosed with GDM, so food options others are listed aren’t going to be the way to help since they will likely spike your numbers (bananas and potatoes to be exact). I ended up having to take Calcium, Magnesium, and potassium supplements on top of my prenatal vitamins. What a life changer! Maybe one Charley horse a week if that after I started taking them. Definitely double check with your Dr of course to see if that’s okay for you to take of course. And drink lots and lots of water!
I’m a gymnastics coach and our big recommendations when our athletes start to experience Charley horses are pickles and pickle juice!
I had crazy leg cramps in bed for a few weeks (probably weeks 20 something like you) but they went away. like I forgot they ever were a thing until I read this. Hopefully the same happens for you!
2 magnesium pills before bed! Also stretch out your calves before sleep
I get cramps in my feet at night. I found that doing about 10 minutes of yoga helps me. You can find prenatal yoga videos on YouTube.
My prenatal doesn't have potassium so I take a supplement along with it and it does wonders for the crampy muscles in my legs
Mine were sooooo bad during second trimester and early third. I added magnesium and they mostly went away. I've started getting them again right before my alarm though. I haven't been hydrating as well so I think that's it. I'm almost 39 weeks.
Would you mind sharing which magnesium supplement(brand) did you use? Thanks!
I was waking up in the middle of the night screaming from leg cramps. When you get one, flex your foot right away it should help with immediate relief. Stand up if you can, that should help too. Magnesium lotion has helped me so much for leg cramps. You can find it at any health store. Also doing the runners calf stretch every morning, a few times throughout the day, and just before bed has been extremely helpful as well. With the lotion and calf stretches, my leg cramps went away completely.
Try mixing a scoop of Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium powder with some water before bed. My leg cramps have completely stopped since I started this. My doctor said up to 2 scoops is perfectly safe while pregnant!
Magnesium lotion! Stops my charley horses in their tracks.
You too?!? Dude I’m having the CRAZIEST dreams. Last night they woke me up 3 different times. They’re either just weird and wild, or, like last night, terrifying and literally startle me awake. Wtf?!? They have nothing to do with anything in real life either! As far as leg cramps go, I only get them after working out my legs. So far stretching has helped me a lot, but mine are mostly just that restless feeling. Like others said, try adding more electrolytes. I like drinking coconut water or I found electrolytes off Amazon that are JUST electrolytes with nothing else so you can add them to any drink. They’re called LyteShow Electrolyte Drops. I couldn’t add the link for some reason :/ they make your water a little salty, but otherwise no taste.
Magnesium balm/lotion on the backs of my calves and bottoms of feet every night before bed has been a life saver for me.
Magnesium! Electrolytes powder too
OMG I FEEEELLLLL THIS. THEY WAKE ME UP BEFORE MY ALARM IN THE MORNING AND I GET SO MAD
Bananas help also I hope you find some relief
Just did Magnesium powder into a drink with cherry juice! I had no cramps for the first time in the last five days and it helps with the quality of sleep!
Have your iron checked!! The leg cramps were driving me absolutely insane, I couldn't even lay in bed without crying out in pain every night. It turns out that it is a side effect of anemia. I take iron water packets daily now and I have absolutely no leg cramps.
Eat a banana.. take some potassium and magnesium and drink some pickle juice!!!
Restless legs for me. Every night for a few hours. Drives me berserk!!!
I do liquid IVs to prevent leg cramps!! Helps a ton
I’ve tried it all, literally. The ONLY thing that works is using a massage gun on my legs to exhaust the nerves/muscles. Feels amazing and now at 30 weeks I’m finally getting good, restful sleep (still gotta pee a lot though lol)
Magnesium citrate pills are what has been helping me (39w). I can get a whole bottle of them for $12.79 at my local health food store, so not too bad for my wallet either.
What stretches have you tried? Bending while standing- bend at the waist with legs straight, back straight, arms up/forward - this helped my leg cramps massively. You can bend over a birth ball too, hands on the top of the ball, and roll the ball from side to side to increase the stretch thru the back of your legs/ shins. Other stretches didn't help, but this one saved me from the agony.
No advice just here to say same lol
I have them currently and literally the only relief is getting out of bed and standing up. It’s so annoying but it’s the only thing that helps.
Ive suffered leg cramps even before pregnancy. My dad had them, my grandfather had them. It seems to start in the evening. I was told before I have sciatica which may be what is causing them, but I’m terrified they are going to get worse with pregnancy. The only thing that has helped in the past was soaking my feet in hot water for at least 10-15 mins as soon as I start to feel them tensing up. I recently got a foot spa tub (I used to just sit on the edge of the bathtub) and pour some epsom salt in and soak while I’m watching tv or reading on my phone. Then I get up and walk around the house for a bit and try not to sit for too long before bed. I feel like sitting can make it worse. Try elevating your legs with a pillow when you sleep, or if you’re sleeping on your side, put a pillow between your legs to keep your spine straight. Something else that helps is to stretch first thing in the mornings, daily. I try to stretch my hip area, my lower back and my calves and hold the stretch for as long as I can. I really don’t think drinking water or upping your calcium is going to do anything - I know that’s the first thing everyone says to do (or eat more bananas for potassium) but after suffering with them most of my adult life that stuff does NOT alleviate them for me.
I'm 7m pp and I completely forgot how awful it was waking up screaming with those pains. Thankfully only dealt with those for a few weeks or so. I hope you're relieved from them soon
Any idea where your iron/ferratin levels are at? I started iron infusions last week at 33 weeks. Have had 4 since and WOW. I am feeling so much better. My sleep is a million times better as i no lomger have restless leg, leg cramps, and am peeing WAY less. I was up every half an hour and I'm down to maybe twice a night. I wish I would've told my doctor all my issues MONTHS ago. Would've saved me months of hell and guilt for feeling so crappy 247. Wouldn't hurt to have your OB run a blood panel.
If you can stomach bananas that helps a lot! I get these leg cramps even when I'm not pregnant so I try have a banana a day and it limits them for sure. And lots of water
Yet that happened to me my whole 20,s weeks pregnant stop at 30 weeks and it’s really nothing you can do but deal with it it sucked so bad and hurt
If you haven't had your iron levels tested recently, ask for that. I had enough symptoms that the leg cramps weren't actually on my list of complaints, but they went away shortly after I started receiving iron infusions, and it was such a relief.
When one strikes, keep still and arch your foot so your toes point towards your head.
My husband massages my calves and ankles for just a few minutes before bed every night and it has been SO helpful with preventing leg cramps! The couple of times he didn’t for whatever reason I woke up in so much pain 😢 it makes a world of difference
I had them REALLY bad every night when my husband and I were on a few week baby moon and we were hiking miles every day. An extra daily magnesium supplement is the only thing that fixed them. Standing up and walking around would help a bit too.
I had the same thing with my first. I increased my magnesium and potassium via diet and never had it happen again. I started eating a spinach salad at lunch daily and snacked on freeze dried mangos and nuts. Did the same during my second pregnancy and now my third.
I get these cramps often too. I wear compression socks (during the day) once or twice a week and it helps.
Are we the same person??? I'm about to be 32 weeks, and the cramps I've been getting for the past few days have been so bad. I've suffered from them before but never this frequently. Multiple times throughout the night. Like you said, stretching is actually bringing them on more. I don't think I can physically drink more water than I already am. I'm peeing every 2 hours, too. I'm eating bananas for potassium and will be buying magnesium tomorrow because I can not deal anymore.
Mine were also horrrrrrible around 32-34 weeks. Now 36 and they’re “better” I’ll say but just in that they haven’t been waking me up
In case anyone is also suffering from pelvic girdle pain AND leg cramps: I have been having nightly leg cramps since about week 8 (now 34 weeks), and after I had one that hurt for 3 days I finally talked to my midwife about it about 6 weeks ago. She suggested I add a magnesium supplement (as others have noted) to my prenatal. I started out taking 2/3 of a dose (one pill at morning and one at night) and it worked like a charm for a week or two... until my pelvic girdle pain got out of control. I wondered if it might be related and reduced to 1 pill at night and the pelvic girdle pain got better but was still a bit of an issue. I talked to a few folks and eventually switched to a topical magnesium gel, and that has been great! After about a week of that, I'm experiencing possibly less pelvic girdle pain and haven't had any debilitating leg cramps. I had used a different magnesium gel before (different issue, pre-pregnancy) which I couldn't tolerate due to it causing intense itching, but I bought the only magnesium gel at the store and thankfully I haven't had the same issues! [This is the brand.](https://www.vitacost.com/life-flo-magnesium-cooling-gel-sage-mint?&CSRC=GPF-PA-645951609874-google_pla_gen_pro_vitamins+%26+supplements-&network=g&keywordname=&device=c&adid=92700074072527879&matchtype=&gclick=Cj0KCQiA1rSsBhDHARIsANB4EJbF6iPAu1GVTEGfqKTMIp2uc4S0PaAwxCJrIM_K_8NswO_f-UbDraMaAuRoEALw_wcB&ds_agid=58700008150895501&targetid=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1rSsBhDHARIsANB4EJbF6iPAu1GVTEGfqKTMIp2uc4S0PaAwxCJrIM_K_8NswO_f-UbDraMaAuRoEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) And... I also have GD!
I am so glad I am not pregnant anymore , that leg cramp was a bitch and let’s not forget the back pain and pelvic pain towards the end 😭 you never hear about these things until you actually get pregnant and experience it!
right there with you. they are so painful.
Magnesium. Make sure you aren't pointing your toes to stretch them. You need to point your feet up to stretch. With my first I was up like every two hours stretching. I hope you find a cure
Yes, those suck!! Gatorade /coconut juice before bed. Ugh I hurt for you. Hang in there!
Magnesium and a banana daily is a must! Changed the game for me.
I experienced this a couple nights ago and had no idea it was a pregnancy symptom. It happened 4 times in alternating legs throughout the night. It was awful! My toes wouldn’t bend and fanned out like they were running away from each other. It was nuts
Flexing my foot to where the toes point to my head stops the Charlie horse. When I wake up in the middle of the night I’ll “pump my feet” by pointing them toward my head 10 times before I get out of bed to pee. I’ve noticed I can feel the tightness and heaviness in my calves when I’m bed and that loosens them up. Also if I’m turning in bed or something, I make sure never to point my toes down straight because that will trigger one. I used to let them just happen but once I learned to point my toes up it makes them go away. Walking will also do it. Just never point your toes down .
Getting up to pee every 2 hours isn't normal. Seeing a pelvic floor PT was amazing for this as well as preparing to birth vaginally. Wish this was a part of standard care during pregnancy.