Leg cramps during pregnancy, not only because of calcium deficiency, but also because of these reasons

In addition to morning sickness during pregnancy, there are also leg cramps that make people patient. This is serious, sometimes for several days in a row, or several times a night, and the pain makes people unable to sleep. So, in the face of leg cramps, is there a better way for pregnant mothers to deal with it besides grit their teeth and endure it?

1. Reasons for leg cramps during pregnancy

Leg cramps during pregnancy are mostly concentrated at night or when you get up in the early morning, which is the gastrocnemius muscle (commonly known as the calf) Painful contractions in the muscles of the feet. Sometimes when a pregnant mother stretches, it will make the soles of the feet, calves or abdomen, waist muscles cramp, cramps are muscle cramps. Faced with the symptoms of cramps, the first reaction of many people is whether they are calcium deficient. In fact, leg cramps are not entirely caused by calcium. Calcium deficiency is only one of the reasons. 1. Leg cramps caused by calcium deficiency With the increase of the pregnancy months, the fetus has an increasing demand for nutrition, especially the demand for calcium. At this time, pregnant mothers must ensure sufficient calcium intake. If the calcium intake of the pregnant mother is insufficient, it will increase the excitability of the body muscles, which will lead to muscle contraction and leg cramps. In addition, the blood calcium level at night is lower than that during the day, so calf cramps often occur at night. 2. Improper diet causes cramps. In order to let the fetus absorb more nutrients, many pregnant mothers desperately eat chicken, duck, fish, and constantly replenish various soups. However, once excessive intake of nutrients and an unbalanced diet during pregnancy can easily lead to an imbalance of electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, causing leg cramps. This is because meat is rich in protein, and excessive intake of protein will affect the metabolism of carbohydrates, among which excessive production of acidic metabolites will cause electrolyte imbalance, and cramps are the main manifestation of electrolyte imbalance. 3. Legs can't hold up. With the growth of the baby during pregnancy, the weight carried by the pregnant mother's legs is also increasing. In addition, the uterus compresses the blood vessels, which will also reduce the blood supply to the legs, which will cause the pregnant mother to walk or stand for a long time. There are many more, and the leg muscles are often in a state of fatigue, which also increases the probability of leg cramps to a certain extent! 4. The sleeping position is not right. Lying on the back or sleeping on the right side for a long time will easily cause spasm of the calf muscles and cause cramps in the calf. Therefore, pregnant women can sleep more on their left side, and turn over from time to time. At the same time, they should also keep their lower limbs warm to ensure blood circulation in their legs.

Second, if you encounter leg cramps, do it right away

If a pregnant mother suddenly has leg cramps at a certain moment, learn the following emergency measures, which can relieve certain symptoms pain!

• Break the big toe: The first is to straighten the cramping leg as much as possible, and then try to bend the big toe toward the head. If in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the mothers can't break it by themselves, then decisively send the father on the field. By the way, you can help pinching the cramped part, which can also relieve the pain of the cramp.
• Besides that, getting up and walking while enduring the pain, putting your feet in a cool place for a massage, can also reduce the symptoms of cramps.

Although the pain of leg cramps is unbearable for a while, it is only for a short time and will not cause other complications; need to worry too much. However, if the pain is unbearable, or the pain does not go away for a few days, and there are symptoms of redness, swelling, and difficulty walking, you should go to the hospital in time.

3. How to prevent leg cramps?

As the saying goes: "Prevention is better than cure". To prevent leg cramps, we must pay attention to starting from normal. 1. Do more stretching This method is currently considered to be a more effective method to prevent leg cramps during pregnancy. Pregnant women can reduce the severity of cramps by stretching their leg muscles to shorten the period of discomfort and discomfort after cramps. Here is a trick, pregnant mothers can choose the operation according to their own situation:

• First choose a standing position, then face the wall, stand about 40 cm, put your feet flat on the ground, raise your hands up Support, while leaning forward, keeping the legs straight, pushing back and down hard, stretching the back muscles of the legs;
• Keep doing this for about 10-20 seconds, repeating 3-5 times in a row , you can do it 4 times on the first day of the first week, and then you can do it once every morning and evening.

2. Adjust the sleeping position. During pregnancy, the uterus needs a lot of blood to supply the fetus, which makes the blood circulation to the legs slower. If you lie on your side, you need to use pillows to cover your knees and ankles Cushion up, try to make it as high as your hips, and bend your knees 90 degrees to avoid leg cramps caused by blood failure in your legs! 3. Avoid overworking the leg muscles. If you exercise vigorously or walk too much distance, the muscle tension will increase, resulting in excessive acidic metabolites, which will stimulate the muscles and cause further cramps! 4. Pay attention to a balanced diet Usually, you should also pay attention to a balanced diet, drink more water and replenish water, carry out appropriate outdoor activities, and pay more attention to details, in order to better welcome the birth of your baby!