Severe Calf Cramps

[Banx]

Yeah DP wakes up to me moaning haha and pushes my toes back up towards me.

But its not the actual cramps im worried about.

my legs even after 2 days (since the cramp) are still crampy and painful. If i bend my toes back and forth my calves hurt heaps and I can barely walk.

I think ill be going up the hospital today to see a midwife.

My BP was up yesterday. So I want a CTG anyway

[Tannis]

Hi Bianca,

I got it really bad during my 1st pregnancy, my Dr said it was lack of calcium so to increase your dairy intake, I also took another calcium tablet in addition to my normal multi vits. She had also said to stretch out the calf muscle every night before bed. That worked for me, if I didn't stretch I got the cramps and I could barely walk for days too.

This pregnancy I have been drinking heaps of milk and taking Elevit and I have only had 1 severe cramp about a month or 2 ago.

I hope it stops for you I know how painful it is

[Sammiejane]

banx,

Good news, there is a cream that you can use!!!

Its called Schuessler Tissue Salts Cream Muscle relaxant.

It has Mag Phosphate in it and it is absorbed into the cramping muscle and helps. Footy players use it in a game and i used it every time i had a cramp in my pg it works a treat.

Make sure that you are drinking enough water as cramping is very often related to being a bit dehydrated...

i put the cream in the lounge room so i had to get up and walk on the leg so i would stretch it out at the same time.
If you use the cream one or twice a week as a preventative i ffound that helped too. but upping my water was the best way to avoid them all together
HTH

[satya]

I only had 2 cramps throughout my entire pregnancy. I put it down to living on tums (contain calcium) to ease my indigestion. I did end up with a calcified placenta but I was pretty much cramp free.

[Beach Mama]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble Bianca.... I have heard you can also get magnesium suppliments from the chemist that can help - check at your appointment today and also at the chemist hun. Hope they get better soon.

[Nai]

Make sure you are getting enough water and calcium. I am also a big fan of the tonic water - I drank it last pregnancy to help combat my leg cramps. Magnesium supplements also help. Brazil nuts contain magnesium too so if you can't stomach bananas carry around an almond & brazil nut mix to snack on during the day (almonds for calcium and brazil for magnesium).

[Lee]

Hi - ouch - keep flexing your toes upwards, especially before you go to bed, that'll keep the calf muscle stretched. Also, what the other ladies suggest - take extra magnesium - pregnancy depletes our normal level, plus circulation to extremeties (legs/arms) is compromised during pregnancy, hence the cramping due to less blood flow in distal muscles. I would also highly recommend putting a cupful of epsom salts in your bath at night - fabulous for the muscles, not to mention relaxing htp

Lee