25 weeks...am I done sleeping well?

[Anonymous]

Up to now I've been sleeping great but the last few nights I've been uprepeatedly to use the bathroom, awake and hungry at 3 am and last night - killer calf cramps that not only woke me up but hubby too as I was out of bed howling and jumping around. Is this just a preview of upcoming 3rd trimester? Any tips for good sleep and stopping these crazy cramps (and if it's drink more water, how will I ever stay asleep with the extra trips to the bathroom)???
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Take extra calcium/magnesium - should help with the cramps.

[Anonymous]

This is what worked for me.

Drink lots of water, but stop about two hours before bed.
Eat a bannana in the evening (helps with night hunger and potassium for leg cramps)

[Anonymous]

In addition to follwoing the above advice, do leg stretches before hopping into bed. Stand facing a wall and lean toward it. Also do a sprinter's stretch where you put one foot in front and one in back and lean forward against something. And the other stretch where you grab your ankle from behind as you bend your leg- make sure you keep your leg close to your body otherwise you won't get the full benefit of the stretch. I too had killer leg cramps and found that doing these stretches in the morning, in the afternoon, and prior to bed helped.

[Anonymous]

Definitely try bananas. I suffered leg cramps early on and have added a banana to my diet every morning and haven't suffered since!

[Anonymous]

I'm also 25 weeks, and here's what's worked for me. A glass of milk before bed, or one if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. A lot of muscle aches & cramps can be alleviated by more calcium. Plus, the little bit of tryptophan (sp?) in the milk can help you sleep too. I agree with one of the PPs about making sure to stretch out your calf muscles too.

[Anonymous]

The leg cramps come from a lack of calcium, magnesium or dehydration. Upping all three worked for me. If you do get middle of the night cramps, try to straighten your leg immediately and rub your calf. Definitely helps. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Yes, you probably won't sleep well again for another few years.

[Anonymous]

Don't point your toes if you stretch your leg out when sleeping - that actually aggravated it for me.

I had cramps for a bit but they seemed to have gone away. Of course bathroom breaks are normal, and the hunger thing started for me now too in the middle of the night

[Anonymous]

Yes yes and yes...sorry, I thought it would get better but not until baby is about 12 months and then I had to do it all over again 2nd time so it was almost 3 years for me. Try a body pillow, it did help me. I got one from bed bath beyond, the really long wrap around one.