Very painful

[Marisa14]

The last couple of nights i've been waking up with really bad right leg cramping...everyone is saying that its a Charlie Horse...its awful painful that i can't even describe...i'm currently 33 wks and 1 day and its happened to me a few times.....is this normal?
Has anyone else experienced this?

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Welcome to the wonderful world of pregnancy.  I get them every time I'm pregnant...Sometimes they hurt so bad I don't know whether to sit still, stand, walk, rub it or just scream and cry.  They usually don't start until further into my pregnancy but this time I got one at about 13 weeks.  Nothing like seering pain to drive you from a good sleep.  

[dcsc2]

I dont know why but I believe it is common symptom during pregnancy.  I was referred to a product called cramp911.  It works great on leg cramps and many other things.  But as far as your leg cramps this is so easy to use.  It comes  in a roller bottle.  Roll on and massage in and within seconds the cramp goes away.  It is a small bottle, you can carry with you wherever you go.  My friend keepas under her pillow!  Anyway, maybe this will help.  

[sfritz]

This is one of the things I got from a preggo thing I get every week:

There's nothing like getting into bed at the end of a long, exhausting day - especially when you're expecting. Aching for a good night's sleep (literally, if your back's been acting up again), you throw back the covers and prepare to happily surrender to sleep. But if you're like many expecting moms, something may be keeping you up tonight (besides what color to paint the nursery): leg cramps. These painful spasms that radiate up and down your calves, all too often keeping dreamland at bay, are very common during the second and third trimester. While these cramps can occur during the day, you'll notice them (oh, baby - will you notice them!) more at night.

No one knows for sure what causes leg cramps in pregnancy - though there are plausible theories aplenty. It could be that your leg muscles are just fatigued from carrying around all the extra weight of pregnancy. Or that the vessels that carry blood to and from your legs are compressed by your growing uterus. There's also speculation that it may be somehow related to diet, though this hunch hasn't been substantiated by studies.

Whatever the cause, you'll need a quick fix when a leg cramp does strike - especially when it's standing (or lying) between you and a good night's sleep. So, here's a quick fix: Straighten your leg and gently flex your ankle and toes back toward your shins.

[chantal21]

I hear ya Marisa....it's very painful! Last week cramps in my leg woke me up 3 nights in a row! speaking of them i just got one 2 minutes ago! I am laying in bed and that's usually when mine strike. like sfritz said try flexing your toes and also avoid pointing them...only makes the situation worse. Must just be common towards the end of pregnancy. It will all be over soon and you'll be holding your baby and totally forget about all those leg cramps! =)

[sfritz]

I had the worst leg cramps towards the end of my pregnancy with my daughter. Completly normal and very painful!! Is it in your calf? Besides getting up and walking it out you can also try to bring your toes up towards your stomach and flexing it like that a few times to help get rid of it.  Sorry you have to deal with that!! Welcome to the wonderful world of preggo symptoms =)