Leg Cramps in Pregnancy

[iyah80]

I'm 7 mos pregnant and I've been experiencing terrible cramps these past few weeks in my legs while I'm sleeping. When I'm awake and sitting, I always have cramps in my upper abs as well. It's just so painful. Is there a way to prevent these like an exercise or diet?

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Hello iyah80,

You could be needing more calcium and magnesium. I would suggest taking a high quality calcium/magnesium supplement daily to see if that helps to relieve the cramping. My guess is that it will.

Also, a high quality supplement is super important because the higher the quality the more your body will be able to utilize. You want to be sure you're able to utilize the supplements otherwise you'll be throwing money down the lu (literally). Look for a chelated supplement or one that has amino acids in it to help with absorption.

Please post back and let me know your thoughts on this. I can give you other ideas on how to get calcium and magnesium in your daily diet, but a supplement would deliver a higher quantity faster, and I think you need to get that in your body as quickly as possible.

Warm Regards,

Kate

[mom2many]

Try placing a pillow between your knees at night to take some of the pressure off of your back/tummy. I would also suggest you follow the dietary suggestions provided by Kate. Last, but not least, try tailor sitting and supported squats during the day. These exercises will not only help to improve some of this pain, but will also help to strengthen your lower body for the stress of labor, potentially leading to an easier birthing experience.

[iyah80]

Hi kate and mom2many,

I went to my doctor a few days ago and that's exactly what he told me. He prescribed a calcium supplement to be taken once per day.
And I would definitely try to put a pillow between my knees when sleeping.

For kate: How abt the supplement for calcium absorption? is that a tablet form or food that i can add to my diet?

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Hi iyah80,

Can you tell me what is in the calcium supplement your doctor prescribed? Or did he just tell you to get one but he didn't actually give you a prescription for it?

As mentioned above, you'll want the calcium to be coupled with magnesium because this helps the calcium to be utilized better by the body. Then you can look for a tablet form that is chelated with amino acids. Alternatively you can look for a liquid supplement because liquids are often times utilized better than tablets.

Calcium citrate is probably the form of calcium that absorbs fastest and I'm now seeing many different brands of this on the market. Took awhile for it to catch on (I used to have to order it from one special place) but it's much easier to find now.

The other thing you can do is to make yourself at least one big green smoothie per day. The benefit of the green smoothie is getting lots of fresh, dark leafy green vegetables in your body. The dark leafy greens are full of naturally occurring calcium that your body can utilize efficiently. The blending into the smoothie helps with digestion because you "skip" the masticating that your teeth would normally do before the foods hit your stomach.

Here's a video that shows you how to make a green smoothie.

Another thing I want you to think about is chewing your food slowly when you're eating. The more you chew your food the more nutrients will be available to your body. Try to eat at least one big green salad a day (2 is even better for you and baby) and chew, chew, chew every bite until it's nearly liquid in your mouth. Try to count to 40 with each bite. If it turns to liquid before you reach 40, then swallow. This is actually better than a smoothie because you'll be masticating the food PLUS adding your saliva which is the first step in the digestion process.

If you want to try to swish the smoothie in your mouth to mix with saliva you can do that, but most people prefer to drink their smoothie rather than "eating" it.

Please post back if you have any questions and also let me know how you are feeling.

Warm Regards,

Kate

[iyah80]

wow!! I'm learning a lot from you Kate...Thanks so much.
What my doc prescribed is a tablet called Calcebone. Im on my 5th tablet today and so far, I haven't experienced any cramping yet. I think it works. And im gonna do the smoothies tomorrw..what i usually do is to eat at least 1 fruit a day...and that's all...but I see to it these veggies in my diet...again, thanks...

[mom2many]

Glad to hear you are feeling better! Kate is a great resource.

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Here's a good video that shows you how to make a green smoothie. You'll be surprised at how many greens she actually gets in her smoothie but it's not too much - with the added bananas and frozen fruit, the green taste isn't very strong. Remember that you can always reduce the greens if you don't like the taste, as long as you're getting some in your smoothie. The more sweet the less you'll taste the greens. Give it a try and post back to let us know how it goes!

[iyah80]

il definitely make this within the week,...and ill post back

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Great! Looking forward to hearing how you liked it. Again, start with just a little greens and some banana and other fruit if you want, and work up to including more greens.

Warm Regards,

Kate

[buderimosteopath]

Ditto the calcium AND magnessium. Green veggies, preferably organic. Glad you are feeling better.

www.buderimosteopath.com.au