RLS in Early Pregnancy

When I got pregnant the first time, I had symptoms immediately. I got overheated on a short walk, fell asleep on the couch, and was peeing all the time. After I got the little plus sign, I immediately bloated up so I looked about 5 months pregnant, not 5 weeks. I grew 2 cup sizes overnight, and I felt vaguely car sick all the time.

Soon, the body symptoms started: back pain, foot pain, hip pain, and the restless legs. I could not for the life of me sit through a movie. I had to get up and move, walk around the couch, bounce on my toes, and shake it out. My husband thought I was going crazy.

A nagging and growing restlessness

As my body grew, my restlessness grew, too. I woke up at night with charlie horses and foot spasms and sometimes I felt like I had to move or else I was going to explode. It was worse when I was tired but not in my own bed, a common occurrence for me during pregnancy.

I would get so tired at the end of the day I’d start shaking if I couldn’t go to my bed. If I was on a couch or chair, the sensations in my legs made me kick them out, causing the people around me to ask if I’d seen a bug on me or something.

Being tired made me feel worse

The more tired I was, the more my other symptoms increased. Being tired made me nauseated. Being tired made me cranky and prone to weeping. Being tired made me feel wrong all over.

I asked my doctor about the foot and calf spasms. I didn’t honestly know that the restless legs were “a real thing,” assuming I was, in fact, going a little crazy. I had a couple options for the pain: stretch, exercise, or magnesium.

Trying out my options

I could stretch, kinda. I tried a prenatal yoga class and generally felt the way I do about all yoga, bored and unfit. I exercised a bit, mostly low impact stuff like going on the elliptical or walking around the neighborhood until I started to sound like a bulldog.

But the thing that helped the most while pregnant was the magnesium. It wasn’t even on my radar before, but magnesium is the stuff in Epsom salt baths and is said to help with muscle issues.

Feeling better, physically and emotionally

It didn’t eliminate the charlie horses or the foot spasms. But they happened less frequently. I hardly noticed the restless legs anymore, which is kind of like when you don’t quite realize your headache is gone after taking ibuprofen until you remember why you took the painkiller.

When I started feeling better, everyone felt better. On a walk toward the end of the second trimester, I proclaimed how much better I was sleeping and how much better I was feeling, emotionally. He said, “Yeah, that was getting a little dark there for a while.”

Obviously, getting a good night’s rest is essential for one’s mental health and doubly so when you’re gestating another human. I’m thankful I had the respite.