I had my 1st fix of an unmerciful leg cramp this morning at 5.46am. I woke up instantly bending my right leg — which I should have straighten — to massage my calf. But the the pain was so overbearing that I shouted out for the husband. And I think I gave him a heart attack. I know the sudden pain did me *pouts*

Why am I having leg cramps during pregnancy?

No one really knows why women have more leg cramps when they’re pregnant.

It’s possible that your leg muscles are tired from carrying around all of your extra weight. Or they may be aggravated by the pressure your expanding uterus puts on the blood vessels that return blood from your legs to your heart and the nerves that lead from your trunk to your legs.

Leg cramps may start to plague you during your second trimester and may get worse as your pregnancy progresses and your belly gets bigger. While these cramps can occur during the day, you’ll probably notice them most at night.

What’s the best way to relieve a cramp when I get one?

If you do get a cramp, immediately stretch your calf muscles: Straighten your leg, heel first, and gently flex your toes back toward your shins. It might hurt at first, but it will ease the spasm and the pain will gradually go away.

Find Out More

The pain lasted a good 5 minutes. And after that, I could not fall back to sleep. Not until it was almost 8.30am *yawns*

I think my screams woke LBJ too, because after that he was actively moving all around. He must be wondering why is Mommy making so much noise *bleh*

Added 21/12/09, 7.04pm
Ever since I started taking 2 Calcium tablets (300mg each) before sleep every night as instructed by Dr Tan, the leg cramps has never returned.

Each time (always in the early morning) when I feel that it is about to cramp, I will immediately straighten my legs and flex my toes. So far it has worked everytime! *touch wood*

Possibly Related Post:
Pregnancy Updates 01: Morning Sickness.
Pregnancy Updates 05: Drown in my own Spit.
Pregnancy Updates 21: Swollen Feet.
Pregnancy Updates 26: Stuffed Nose.
Pregnancy Updates 30: Braxton Hicks Contractions.