- 1). Try stretching your legs before going to bed. Position yourself next to a wall or other stable object so you can use a hand to help balance. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, take your right foot and step forward one pace (about 3 feet) or as far as you can safely reach. Lean forward onto the right leg--do not let your right knee go past your right toe--while keeping the left leg straight and in its original position behind you. Keeping your left heel positioned on the floor will gently stretch the calf. Count to 10, release the stretch and repeat. Do the entire exercise over while reaching out with the left foot.
- 2). Try interrupting the cramp with a massage. Using long, downward strokes--from the knee toward the ankle--massage the area where the pain is located. Often the pain is too debilitating for mom to move easily--and the growing baby makes this task even more difficult--enlist the help of your partner.
- 3). If the massage is ineffective--or too difficult to maneuver--in easing the leg cramp, you can try stretching the leg again. This time, while lying on your back, take your toes and bend your ankle toward you in an effort to stretch out the calf muscle that is cramping. Do not point your toes, this may cause the cramp to exacerbate. You can combine both the stretch and the massage as well.
- 4). Speak with your health care provider. Although we do not know the exact origin of leg cramps, many women have had success in using dietary or nutritional supplements that have been approved by a health care provider. It is important not to medicate yourself, even though there are medications and herbal supplements targeted at pregnant women suffering from leg cramps that are over-the-counter, do not assume they are safe. Always check with a health care provider before taking any medication or supplement.
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