I have always gotten Charlie Horse leg cramps in my calves towards the end of my pregnancies. This time, I am grateful that it seems my calves have been spared. However, something worse decided to rear it's ugly head instead. I'm not sure what it is, and my doc isn't sure either, other than to call it a muscle cramp and that there's not a whole lot I can do about it at 37 weeks... HIP CRAMPS. It started out 3 weeks ago as your typical "hip" discomfort. I felt it deep within my joints so thought it was totally unrelated to my muscle, but more the bones. I assumed my joints were loosening up, getting ready for delivery. But then about 2 weeks ago the cramping started at night. For the past 14 days, I cannot lay in the same position for more than about 45 minutes. Depending on what side I'm laying on, the bottom side (the side on the mattress) startles me awake in terrible pain. My "joint" (which I now believe is not the root of the pain - I think it's the muscle surrounding the joint) cramps up and just throbs and burns. Oh, man, does it BURN! I can try to lay there and tough it out, but it just gets worse unless I get up and walk around for about 10 minutes. Then it starts to phase out and I can go back to bed. That is, until 45 minutes later when the next round hits. This goes on all night long, almost like clockwork! And then when I get up for the day, I can feel that area of my body has really been through the ringer and the soreness lingers for a couple hours. Thankfully it doesn't last all day and I think it just needs to be worked out through movement, etc., but at night I am not getting any real quality sleep. I tried to look on the positive: I won't be pregnant much longer, this is preparing me for midnight feedings, blah-blah-blah, but this morning I'm grumpy and frustrated and sleep-deprived and I have HAD IT! I am sure later I'll feel stupid for posting this but right now I just need to vent to cyber-space to feel like I've had my say and my say is,
"Poor, poor pitiful me!"
