Severe cramps in my calf muscles

Im not sure if this has anything to do with being pregnant.

But for the last few mornings, when im laying in bed, i stretch, and I get this absolutely, severe cramp in my calf muscle.
It feels like my calf muscle goes rock hard, and my entire leg is in agonising pain....this morning and the other day it was that bad, I was screaming, and crying....it was unbearable...I could move my whole leg from the pain....

My DP was asking me where the pain was, and i couldnt take a breath to answer him....the only way to relieve it was to move my leg, but i was in that much pain, i couldnt move....Instead i was screaming and crying....

It lasted about 2 mins.....

anyone get this...its really scary, cause its so painful, and comes on when im simply having a morning stretch

:(

Yep, I was getting throughout Tristan's pregnancy. I did mention it to my OB but she didn't seem to concerned.... she said that along with the blurry vision, dizzy spells ect was because I had low Iron stores.

I couldn't find anything to help with them sorry.

Its pretty common in pg to get leg cramps. I have to remind myself each morning to stretch in a way that doesn't leave me with an agonising cramp.

i had the exact same thing when i was pregnant! not a nice way to wake up, it is one of the most painful things ive ever experianced!! i would also be screaming + crying!
people told me lots of old wives tales say its because not enough salt in diet, calcium, drink tonic water etc, etc.. but i couldnt find any remedy to stop them. i just became very aware of how i moved and streched my legs in bed. although someone did tell me to put my leg on a cold surface and one morning i hobbled and sat on the bathroom floor with my leg out and that seemed to help.
good news is i havent had any since i had ds, so there is hope yet :)

I get terrible leg cramps too. Had them in both pregnancy's. Couple of things that can help - Make sure you are well hydrated during the day. And that your calcium intake is good. Sometimes if you wake in the night with the cramps, getting out of bed and standing on cold tiles can help take the pain away, A good massage before bed by either yourself or DH if he is willing, and sometimes when I was having bad cramps I would have a couple of renie (heartburn) chews and the magnesium helps too. My Ob suggested the calcium supplement if they got really bad, but again, he said it was just one of those pregnancy things.

But, make sure you mention it to your heath provider too, just to be on the safe side.

oh...thankyou so much...Im so glad others have had the same thing, as ive been so worried...because they are just so painful...and i think DP thinks im a drama queen when i start crying and screaming....
But its just not like a normal cramp...its so painful...and sometimes, if i dont get rid of it properly, my calf muscle aches for like 3 days afterward.

The bad one i had the otherday left me limping round the house for 3 days afterward....it was terrible.

I drink a fair bit of milk and that during the day.. im taking mylanta too, so hopefully that will work in the same way as a rennie.
I usually try and not stretch my legs, but when im half asleep i forget lol

im getting teh same pain :( its horrible

heat packs help mine i get them as im settling down to go to sleep aswell or if im sitting on teh lounge and stretch to play with the kids

My doctor recommends quinine to stop the leg cramps & I found it helped heaps. Essentially if you drink a small bottle of tonic water or bitter lemon soft drink (I think they are around 300ml) each night with dinner then you shouldn't get them too bad.

I got the a couple of times in my 2nd trimester but haven't since (thank goodness)! The first time I woke up screaming in agony and my DF thought I was dying lol.

Not fun at all, I hope they don't become too frequent for you!

get a magnesium supplement- deficiencies in magnesium usually cause cramps so might be well worth trying. My naturopath recommended it to me for cramps- i'm not pregnant though just used to get them.

I'm not pregnant, and have never been but i experience those severe cramps as well :cry:

My DP doesn't understand either, whenever i have an attack (thats what i call it) he constantly asks what is wrong... well if i am clutching my leg and screaming in pain then i have a cramp!! duh!!! :wall: I get them at night as well so i make sure i have a big glass of water before bed and i haven't had one in about 6 months now :)

As the others have said its quite common in pregnancy.

I think I had one nasty one in the early part of the pregnancy but didn't get anymore after that because I was living on Tums for indigestion. They are full of calcium which helps with cramps - both the leg kind & the tummy kind. I also never felt any BH during the pregnancy, not sure if it's related or not but could well be.

I actually read last night in my pregnancy book that they are very normal...I was shocked to actually see it mentioned in the book, it gave me shivers lol (just another realisation that its all happening, and that im pregnant lol)

It said similar things and that theres not much you can do but walk it out... But its so painful i dont think i could muster the strength to get out of bed and walk.

I had to be so careful this morning, cause i usually stretch when im half asleep, and i tried stretching like 10 times, but everytime i went to, i had to quickly remind myself to stop lol.

And yes, i totally agree with you 'tryingforbaby88'....
I wake up crying and screaming, and dp just lies there going...whats wrong? whats wrong?
meanwhile im curling over in pain, holding my calf muscle lol

My muscle has been that sore today, that i couldnt walk properly and had to hobble around the shops.
Its funny hat the after pain can come back and haunt you after 24 hours of the cramp happening :(

Well obviously if im clutching my leg i have a toothache :rofl:

Hope they get better for you darls :hug: :)

Cramping in general, pregnant or not can be caused by low salts in the body, which muscles need to function properly.
Salts such as potassium, magnesium, sodium etc. In you can get a mineral supplement that has a wide range of vitamins and minerals it should help replenish the body with the natural salts it needs to function properly.
When you're pregnant the baby takes up so much of your dietary needs to develop, which is why people start to experince this when they are pregnant.
Go to your health food shop and see what they can give you. Collodial minerals are fantastic, PM me if you want details or somewhere to get them from

Also, try a heat pack on the mucles to encourage blood flow and ease the pain of cramping, and if you can, treat yourself to a massage

Someone told me that you don't get them as badly if you can remember not to point your toes when you stretch your legs... It makes sense to me - it's usually just as my foot reaches full flexion that the cramp kicks in... Worth a try anyway!

thankyou thankyou everyone for your help!!!!

I am scared to up my salt intake incase i do damage and go the complete opposite way...maybe if i eat ore bananas etc, as they are high in potassium, and seem helthy enough :)
How do i know, whats a safe ammount of sodium to be having?

I have also noticed that it isnt as bad if i dont point my tos, so i think your right with that one!! I have still given a little stretch, these last few mornings, and just tried not to point the toes, and so far so good :)

Touch wood haven't had too many yet but very common in pregnancy from 2nd trimesters and can get worse in 3rd. Depending on which book / article you read it can be blamed on * pressure on nerves from trunk to legs due to expanding uterus * additional weight we are carrying which leads to legs being tired * too much phosphorus or too little calcium or potassium in diet - take your pick !!!!

Things you can do to mimimise - eat banana or drink glass of milk before you go to bed which provides calcium/potassium boost - try to stretch muscles before going to bed - try to get a walk in each day (even 10 minutes can help) - if okay with care provider take magnesium tablets (some of the other girls have mentioned this already).

Trick when you do get a cramp is to stretch the leg immediately - will hurt but will also make it go away :D straighten from heel first and flex ankles and toes.

Are you taking any pregnancy suppliments already? Like Blackmores or Eleviate? They should help level out any deficiencies in your diet if there was any.

Im taking folate, thats all. I was on those blackmore pregnancy/breastfeeding tablets..the ones that look like a chocolate bullet :) But they ran out at about 4 months and so i decided to go to just folate for the remainder of the pregnancy.

I have been having milk/milo before bed each night, and havent had a cramp in about a week, which is good.

I never believe the books when they said to try not sleep on your back, as it cuts off circulation and lood flow to the lower part of the body and legs.
I didnt believe this until the other night i woke up with completely dead legs and no feeling below the waste...just a numbness....I quickly rolled over onto my side, and the feeling came back....Im now taking the books more seriously :P

Maybe that has something to do with the cramps also? I didnt think much of it, but it makes sense i guess :/

funny you mention the on your back thing. i used to be petrified of sleeping on my back but no so with this pregnancy. I think you may have proven your book to be right in that the weight of the uterus cuts blood supply off the main blood highway to your lower adomen & legs. I usually get mild BH when i roll onto my back for any length of time.. very annoying.
With the calf leg cramps i used to get them in puberty and now i get them in pregnancy. DH has woken up to me crying in pain in the middle of night, now he gets up and pushes my foot straight (my calfs are no longer stretched) and the cramp goes away.. if he didn't i'd still be there in pain trying to move my foot. My muscles are sore for a few days after, nothing a nice rub down or warm bath won't fix :D
i seem to remember reading somewhere that in pregnancy you need more salt and not to cut down on it(a belly belly article perhaps?)

I get leg cramps through out all of my pregnancies and I swear by taking magnesium tablets help. I use a formula called Magnesium Complete by Nutra Life. I take double quanity for a week then cut back to one before bed.

Would seriously look into restarting the Blackmores there is so much in them than just folate all of which is beneficial both to the baby and also for breastfeeding if you are intending to do that afterwards. Check out to see if you have a Discount Vitamins store near you. Their prices are seriously good - cheaper than anyplace else. FWIW I also take Calcium tablets (as I don't drink milk) and Vitamin C tablets (to try to stave off colds).

From what I understand the sleeping on your back is to be avoided the further into the pregnancy that you get as the weight of uterus and baby etc gets heavier and heavier. I am lucky I naturally sleep on my side (yeah one thing I don't have to change).

With being concerned about having more salt, its more the natural salts and minerals that cause the cramping, not your general sodium and table salt
This is why its suggested to take a mineral supplement, as it has all the different salts the body needs. Potassium, magnesium etc....

Google search collidial minerals for more information