What dietary supplements should pregnant women take for leg cramps
Release time : 04/18/2025 09:30:02
Many pregnant women often experience cramps in the calves during pregnancy, usually appearing in the mid-stage and often occurring at night while sleeping.
Pregnant women should eat foods rich in minerals and vitamins to prevent leg cramps. What should pregnant women eat to relieve leg cramps? Most of the time, pregnant women experience leg cramps due to a lack of microelements in their bodies, so pregnant women need to consume food that is rich in microelements.
Here are a few nourishing recipes that can help prevent leg cramps during pregnancy.
Ingredients for Silverfish and Eucommia Root Pork Soup: Pork slices, silverfish, Eucommia root, amaranth (amaranth), water, soup, salt, monosodium glutamate. Instructions: Wash and chop the amaranth into segments.
Put the water into the pot to boil, then put in Eucommia ulmoides, Eichhornia crassipes, silverfish and pork.
Salt and MSG are used for flavoring.
Finally, add cornstarch water and thicken the sauce
Silver fish and spinach are rich in calcium, while Eucommia ulmoides leaves can strengthen bones. Silver fish, Eucommia ulmoides meat soup is rich in calcium and suitable for pregnant women who frequently have cramps to eat.
2. Spinach Stir-Fried Beef Strips Ingredients: beef, spinach, soy sauce, ginger, onion, MSG and other seasonings. Method: First clean the beef and cut it into strips.
Put the wine, soy sauce, starch and MSG into the dish, marinate for an hour.
Remove the root from the celery, wash it thoroughly, and cut into segments.
Add beef to a hot pan and stir it until it's cooked. Add the celery.
Finally, add water and seasoning as needed.
Beef is rich in trace elements and proteins, and fatty acids. Celery also belongs to the category of healthy organic food. Beef with celery can help improve the condition of pregnant women's muscle cramps.
How to Treat Leg Cramps in Pregnant Women? Leg cramps are a common symptom, but frequent occurrences can cause significant inconvenience for pregnant women. When leg cramps occur, what should be done? Don't worry; here we will introduce several methods.
1. In daily life, pregnant women should pay attention to healthy and scientific diet. They should eat more calcium-rich food, such as milk, seaweed, sesame, and pork bones. Moreover, many green and vegetable fruits, like corn, oranges, grapefruits, potatoes, etc., are rich in vitamins and play a certain help for the growth of the fetus and prevent pregnant women from cramps.
It is advisable for pregnant women to expose themselves to sunlight on a regular basis, as it can promote the absorption of calcium.
2. When going to sleep, it is important to keep the lower half warm and not let your calves be exposed to wind or cold air. Positioning yourself on your side can reduce the symptoms of cramps.
When you sleep, you can slightly elevate your legs and stretch your toes upwards to relax the muscles in your calf and ankle. Before going to bed at night, you can also soak your feet in hot water for 10 minutes to relieve muscle fatigue.
3. Pregnant women should opt for loose and comfortable maternity wear, complemented by knee-length socks. It is advisable to choose stretchy cotton socks instead of silk ones, which are more comfortable and sweat-wicking.
Pregnant women should also opt for flat or insole shoes, which are comfortable and fit well.
4. Aromatherapy essential oil massage can relieve pain. Adding one or two drops of essential oil during massage can significantly alleviate cramps.
Expectant fathers can gently press the Taichong acupoint of pregnant women with their thumbs, which is the 2-inch gap between the first and second toes. Pregnant women can sit on sofas or chairs for more comfort.
How to relieve cramps in pregnant women? When pregnant women have severe cramps, because of the bulging belly, it is very important for family care and massage.
When a pregnant woman experiences leg cramps, how should they be alleviated? 1. First, extend the leg with cramped legs straight and elevated, with the soles of the feet pointing upwards. The pregnant woman can gently press down on the toes themselves, or have the leg extended straight, pressing down on the toes towards the back of the leg. Apply force quickly for five minutes before gradually reducing the pressure.
This massage can alleviate symptoms of leg cramps, which disappear after 20 minutes.
2. If the pregnant woman has only slight cramps, she can stretch her leg straight and tighten it, then bend and extend several times, which can relax the muscle of the leg and gradually disappear the symptoms of cramps.
3. When pregnant women experience cramps, it is crucial not to immediately get up or shake the legs; this could affect the fetus. Instead, husbands should comfort the pregnant woman and allow her to relax, which can help alleviate leg cramp symptoms.
The common belief that pregnant women experience leg cramps due to a deficiency in calcium is not entirely accurate. While calcium deficiency is indeed one of the causes, there are several other factors that can contribute to leg cramps during pregnancy.
1. The most common cause of leg cramps in pregnant women is due to a lack of calcium.
During pregnancy, fetal skeletal growth requires a significant amount of calcium. This calcium is exclusively supplied by the mother, so it's essential for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of calcium to prevent hypocalcemia.
Calcium plays a role in the contraction of nerve and muscles, which is why symptoms such as leg cramps occur.
Calcium levels are lower at night than during the day, so cramping is more likely to occur at night.
2. If a pregnant woman sleeps in an unfavorable position, such as lying on her back or stomach for an extended period of time, or if the blanket is placed over her feet, or if her feet rest against the bed, this can cause the calf muscles to relax for an extended period of time, leading to cramps.
And if you sleep too long, your blood circulation slows down and can lead to cramping.
3. At night, the temperature is low, and pregnant women may not cover themselves with thick blankets or expose their legs when sleeping, which can easily catch a cold. The cold can stimulate the calf muscles and cause cramps, so it is important to keep warm in winter.
What should pregnant women pay attention to when experiencing leg cramps? Pregnant women are prone to experiencing cramps during mid pregnancy. In addition to supplementing calcium in daily life, there are also some things that should be noted.
1. Pregnant women should avoid excessive exercise. Excessive exercise such as long-distance hiking or vigorous activities can cause muscle soreness in the legs, and when these muscles are not relieved by nightfall, symptoms of leg cramps may occur.
If you can't avoid overexertion, remember to soak your feet in hot water and massage your leg muscles to reduce the buildup of lactic acid.
2. Pregnant women should avoid prolonged periods of maintaining the same posture, such as slouching on one leg, as this can impede blood flow back to the heart and cause blood stasis, leading to leg cramps.
3. At night, pregnant women should ensure adequate warmth and avoid sleeping for too long.
Many people believe that sleeping is restorative and that getting plenty of sleep is beneficial to health. However, if sleep time is excessively long, blood circulation can slow down, and symptoms such as leg cramps may occur.
The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.
If there is any discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the diagnosis and treatment should be based on offline medical examination.