Restless Legs During Pregnancy is a Major Discomfort!

Oh yes, the restless legs. Definitely the toughest part of my pregnancy. It wasn't until about the middle of my third trimester that I began experiencing restless legs. My sleep routine was thrown way out of whack and it lead to being extremely exhausted. I had to stop working earlier than planned due to the lack of sleep I was getting at night. Because of the constant tingling in my legs at night I was not able to fall asleep. I describe the feeling as a constant need to move your legs, I'd literally lay in bed and start kicking my feet to try and get them to stop tingling. It would then come to a point where I would just have to get up. Night after night I would be awake, I'd notice the darkness turning to daylight and hear our neighborhood come to life as people left for work and I was SO tired. Normally around 10am I would finally be able to crawl in bed and fall asleep, my legs simply would no longer be restless. So then I would sleep all day. Mentally this was difficult, it was lonely being up by myself at night and I so badly wanted to get out of the house during the day to socialize but I simply couldn't.


As far as interventions, not much could be done. I couldn't take the medication that controls restless legs because it's not safe to take during pregnancy. After doing some research online, I tried all sorts of suggested methods to eliminate this condition- having my husband massage my feet and lower legs before bedtime, alternating hot and cold presses, lessening the amount of carbs I would eat in the evening, elevating my legs, evening walks around the neighborhood, but nothing helped. So I just had to deal. And while this was difficult by all means, I was always thankful this was just "my" problem and the health of my baby continued to be excellent. I would frequently tell people that I was willing to go through anything for the birth of my baby boy, so this condition was just par for the course and I would survive.


I'm convinced that my restless legs were caused by hormones from the pregnancy. I believe I also have a genetic predispostion as several people in my family have been diagnosed with this condition and take prescription medication to control it. Immediately after I gave birth to my son, the restless legs stopped thankfully and I was able to return to a much more normal sleeping schedule.


Restless Leg Syndrome During Pregnancy
This article covers Restless Leg Syndrome. Up to 20% of pregnant women suffer from RLS at some point in their pregnancy.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/320647/restless_leg_syndrome_during_pregnancy.html