Don't have a Calf (Cramp), Man!

Many pregnant women lay in bed at night and move their leg ever so slightly when...CRAMP.  For whatever reason, occasional cramping of the calf muscles or leg cramps are pretty common during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. This often painful condition can be relieved by gently pulling the front of your foot towards you until the cramp releases.

Here are some other tips from Belli to keep your legs cramp-free:

1. Eat a healthy diet (with lots of fruits and veggies) and drink a lot of water to keep your body hydrated
2. Get some exercise everyday; stretch your legs before and after
3. In addition to stretching pre and post exercise, try to stretch your legs periodically throughout the day. Don't sit in the same position for too long. Big tip: Because your blood is thicker when you're pregnant, never sit for longer than an hour (especially on a flight!) -- walk around, make circles with your feet, and do whatever is necessary to keep the blood flow moving.
4. Take short breaks during the day where you elevate your legs above the level of your heart
5. Give yourself a light massage of the calf muscles (get your significant other to help out with this step!)

To relieve leg and calf cramps, Belli Pregnancy's Foot Relief Cream is a safe pregnancy skincare aroma-therapeutic menthol massage cream that does the trick and smells great. When massaged into the skin, Foot Relief Cream comforts swollen, tired feet and relieves calf cramps. Featuring peppermint, tea tree oil and shea butter, Foot Relief Cream leaves skin feeling cool, tingly and refreshed while it eases discomfort.

To relieve pregnancy calf cramps, gently massage into affected areas. For best results, keep feet elevated for 10-15 minutes after treatment.

Health tip from Dr. Rubin: It is normal to occasionally have brief calf cramps during pregnancy. Pain in the calf or legs that is persistent or associated with redness or swelling may be a sign of a blood clot in the legs (deep venous thrombosis) which is a potentially dangerous condition that occurs more often during pregnancy. See your physician immediately if this happens.

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