• It’s the end of a long day. You have finally gotten into bed and found that ever so elusive comfortable position. Here it comes, you can feel yourself drifting off to dream land. When out of nowhere your leg begins to twitch, or you just get the urge to move it and move it now! Finally you get comfortable again and the cycle starts over. This my dear friends is Restless Leg Syndrome. Another fine side effect of pregnancy.

    No one has identified for certain the cause of RLS in pregnant women. I’ve been told various deficiencies could be a cause. Or it could be like many pregnancy woes and just be a result of hormones and changes in your blood flow. To help ease this annoying side effect talk to your ob or midwife. Some may suggest vitamins and supplements to see if they help. My ob suggested massaging the legs and taking a good long warm bath before lying down to sleep. I find that on days when I am more active and do more walking I am less likely to be bothered by RLS. Perhaps that’s because at 32 weeks pregnant the activity just plain wears me out and I sleep through the urges. Or maybe it just helps stretch those muscles really well.

    Either way, try taking a nice walk in the evening after dinner. Walking while pregnant is fantastic, not only could it help your RLS but it will encourage baby to prepare for his entrance into the world. I also try to avoid drinking any caffeine, especially after about noon. I’m not sure if it helps or not with the RLS but it for sure helps me sleep better. Take heart that RLS goes away after delivery if not sooner!