Charley Horses

I’m pregnant, and I wake up with the most horrendous pain my calf. Did you and how did you cope?

Our Mommy MD Guide’s reply: Those pains are commonly called Charley horses. I had never had Charley horses in my life—until my pregnancies. I’d wake up in the middle of the night yelping in agony. My poor husband!

The Charley horses became more frequent as my pregnancies went along. The one thing I found that eased the pain was walking. I’d walk around my room to loosen the cramped muscle. Thankfully, I could fall back to sleep easily.

—Rebecca Kazin, MD, a mom of three girls and medical director of the Johns Hopkins Dermatology and Cosmetic Center at Green Spring Station in Lutherville, MD