Preventing Leg Cramps During Pregnancy

Last week, I decided to start asking you guys for advice. Considering I’ve never taken a pregnancy this far until now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not yet an expert ;). I posted on Instagram asking you guys what you do to help your leg cramps, and I loved hearing your responses! First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who did respond. Since every pregnancy is SO different, I know that what works for me won’t always work for everyone else. So I love being able to share so many ideas, in hopes that one of them will help someone who needs it!

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GETTING RID OF MY LEG CRAMPS

First I want to tell you what’s worked for me! The first time I got a Charlie Horse (like, the first one I can remember in my entire life!) I was just sitting on the coach with Lo (my dog, if you aren’t a regular reader :)) and I was so surprised by the pain I just started yelling swear words! Ha! My calf was sore for days after that. Then I started getting them at night, so I decided to try some remedies. These are the things that have helped me, and (now at 24 weeks pregnant) I haven’t had any for the last few weeks.

Lots of water. Always drink water – it pretty much seems to be the solution to everything during pregnancy, and definitely helps with leg cramps ;). I talk about the type of water I love to drink in this post about preventing stretch marks!
Flexing your feet. Seems weird, I know, but I read somewhere that if you feel a cramp coming on and quickly flex your foot, it can make it stop. I’ve tried this and it seriously works every time! Also, when I first wake up in the morning and go to stretch in bed, I make sure that instead of pointing my toes (which is what I naturally start to do) I flex my feet instead.
Magnesium before bed. I started taking magnesium before bed for multiple reasons, cramps being one of them, and it’s totally helped! Magnesium can also relax you and help you sleep better, help you go to the bathroom in the morning, the benefits go on and on!
Prenatal Yoga. Again, I cannot tell you how much I love my prenatal yoga classes. Just like drinking water and taking magnesium, I feel like yoga helps/solves so many pregnancy issues, and just makes me feel better and more comfortable in general! It’s definitely helped in keeping my calves stretched out and avoiding leg cramps.
Prenatal Massage. I’ve had a few prenatal massages and ask them to spend some time on my calves. It especially helps them feel better after a cramp, when I’m super sore.

ADVICE FROM READERS

Ok, so that’s what’s worked for ME – now here’s what’s worked for everyone else!! The most common answer seems to be to eat a banana everyday (who knew?!) and drink lots of water! But keep scrolling because there are some good/interesting suggestions, and if you are suffering from leg cramps I’m guessing you’ll try just about anything to get rid of them, huh?

kendylmadsen Calcium chews and vitamin water zero hahaha. Those are the freaking worst😖
mollyveeeee All the water 💧during weeks 13-18 I used to get foot and calf cramps so bad during the middle of the night my husband thought I was in preterm labor. I started rolling out my feet with golf balls and my calves with a foam roller every night before bed, that and water!
clairecramirez Stretch & water!!
lauren_ann_evans Staying hydrated and keeping my legs elevated whenever I can (which proves to be difficult with two toddlers to chase after).
robbyandtina I had the worst leg cramps ever. My midwife suggested I drink a glass of grapefruit juice every morning and I can’t tell you why it works but it does!!! It’s worth a try 😊
wewonderandwander Those don’t sound fun…at all! Foam rolling with a baseball and foam roller and stretching and water for sure! And how cute is this shot!!!
victoriavolpei Oh man I’m sorry!!! My doctor recommended Calcium pills early in pregnancy to prevent them later on and I’ve never had a cramp! I am 26 weeks!
smhomec haha same thing happened to me!! My husband thought I was going into preterm labor in the middle of the night also!! Eating extra bananas (to increase potassium) and also drinking Gatorade totally helped!
peanutbutta_jennie Not pregnant, nor have ever been but I get Charley horses a lot. Eating Bananas helps! Not sure but I think it’s the Potassium 🙂
st_eve_jewelry Water water water! Luckily I didn’t get them bad with either pregnancy but I do remember getting them sometimes!
jpham_3 I’ve never been pregnant but I know taking magnesium can help with muscle cramps and spasms!
apesdimeg I would get really bad leg cramps/Charlie horses when I was pregnant, mostly in the middle of the night, sleeping. I was told to flex my feet, as far back as I could, to stretch it out and that seemed to really help relieve it faster. Good luck! It’s amazing what our bodies have to endure during pregnancy!
mummyista Have a banana. Low potassium levels can cause muscle cramping. Many fruits and vegetables including oranges, papayas, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes are also high in potassium
julibrewer I got them so terribly bad! ALL THE WATER! Also, doterra Deep Blue essential oil
alishamsimon @jenkhawkins currently limping from one the other morning.. i yelled out loud, “ouch ouch ouch” Hubby woke up frantic, asking how he could help. I said idk maybe I should practice my breathing and how I tolerate pain, he kindly breathed along side me…
christiane.begin Keeping my legs up when sitting helped
aspurceoz Bananas bananas bananas 🐒
candorandrose Drink lots of water, and liquid calcium magnesium! I started taking it at my midwife’s suggestion, and never got another cramp since I did.
foreverhhy Up in middle of the night right now with these for the first time!!! Yes please!!! 😩
mrsrachelhawkins Bananas!
heylizkilgore Eating bananas helped me so much with those weird leg cramps. Potassium for the win!
nanx9 Bananas & water!
senecajane Lots of water and I would elevate my legs every night for about 20 minutes. 🙂
niantun Don’t tuck your sheets in at the end of the bed! Sounds silly but I haven’t had any cramps since I made that change!
selenataylorart Hi👋🏼 almost 34 weeks with baby 3. I only get charlie horses (legs) in the morning when I stretch and all I do is quickly flex my feet the opposite way and that helps every time 😆 hopefully that makes sense! And water and bananas, I don’t know…
airdeyoung They are the worst! 26 weeks and bananas helped me
candyzimm Potassium and magnesium supplements. I got them bad both pregnancies 😧
meg_mcg4 I had the worst leg cramps and typically eat super clean grain free paleo style diet. I was traveling for work and had cheerios out of desperation for a gluten free option at the airport and had no cramps that night. I tried supplements bananas water electrolyte drinks….but cheerios before bed were the only thing that helped. So weird! Maybe because it was fortified?
alice.bonvicini Leg cramps: I took a magnesium supplement (natural calm) at first then switched to the homeopathic equivalent, Mag Phos 6x by Hylands. Magic.
cassandrati I had one that was so bad I was limping for a week!! 😬 Doc said bananas 🍌and stretching and it worked. I think you have to be careful about massage on your calves- there is a trigger point for contractions I believe 🤔
erikadiredo My Dr recommended bananas and a gatorade before bed every night, I had them so bad I would get sore to the point it felt like I did a whole leg day workout and could barley walk. It definitely helped! At a certain point they stopped all together 😊
jenidickerson This one sounds crazy but both my prenatal yoga instructor and my lactation consultant recommended sleeping with a bar of Irish Spring Soap under the sheets, I would wrap it on me to keep it close to the muscle. Totally sounds nuts but it worked for me. Google it!
saminat Hot bath with epsom salt, hylands all natural restless leg tablets!
lizacorday yoga or Pilates and the occasional trip to the chiropractor. I had sharp pains in my lower back that shot down my legs. Worked with 3 pregnancies! Best wishes! ❤️
kitsch_pics Magnesium and calcium supplements. As soon as I started taking those they went away! 🙌🏼
samrburns Doterra oils makes an oil blend called deep blue. It is amazing to rub onto legs or any other area that may be sore or tense.
laurasdavey Hot baths, massages, daily bananas, and tons of water. I started doing more prenatal yoga and that helped a ton too!
_leemur Magnesium. Best supplement is a powder called natural calm. Or you can look up transdermal magnesium “oil” spray
aubj14 Compression socks- and went you go to stretch make sure your feet are flexed- for some reason that stopped the pain from spreading for me- and warm baths
woltzie Magnesium glycinate as well as transdermal magnesium oil spray
juliettepwilliams Lots of water and weekly chiropractic appointments worked for me. I never really had cramping issues… just restless legs
branilaine I heard tonic water works wonders!
aubreylyn725 Water water water! 💦 I had calf cramps at night, and flexing my foot at the onset really helped!
kisslikeaprincess Epsom salt baths, magnesium, loads of water and husband massages ❤️
christina.hoots Bananas before bed
cargo_creative Coconut oil + lavender oil. Magnesium spray on your feet. And epsom salt baths (put a scoop of baking soda in first so your body absorbs the salt and not the toxins in the water)
rebeccact Water water water! And, Mama Mio Lucky Legs cooling energising leg gel! It’s fantastic! Especially during the summer or a long day on your feet! Also, lavender Epsom salt baths
lydia_wetmore @jenkhawkins I have never been pregnant nor am I currently but standing all day and leg cramps are a real thing. You have to look up Ashley Blacks Fascia Blaster I have almost all of them and obsessed #amazing #gamechanger #fasciablaster
catcox A banana a day and you will NOT get them.
mrsabow I had leg cramps during both my pregnancies. I had my husband massage my legs, ate a lot of bananas, made sure I was drinking plenty of water. Also I made sure not to point or flex my feet if my hands were not able to reach my legs in case of cramping.