# Day 138: Cramp

> Nineteen weeks and five days. Leg cramps join the list around now; tonight's job is a calf stretch at the wall, and knowing what to do when one hits at 3 a.m.

- Series: Your fifth month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5), day 138 of 280, 19 weeks + 5 days
- Your baby this week: about the size of a beef tomato; around 15.3 cm from head to bottom
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-138
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 138: Cramp." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-138

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Nineteen weeks and five days. Today is about the calf that seizes in the middle of the night, and the two-minute stretch that may make it happen less.

## Your baby

Around 15.3cm from head to bottom, about the size of a beef tomato ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)). Behind the first set of teeth, the adult teeth are starting to form and lining up ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)). The NHS's line for this week is that your baby is putting on weight, "getting ready for the birth in about 21 weeks' time" ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)).

## Your body

Leg cramps are on the NHS's list of common symptoms this week ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)), and next week's page adds that they may wake you at night ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). MedlinePlus says they're common in the last months of pregnancy, and that stretching the legs before bed may reduce them ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)).

When one hits, the sources agree on the fix. MedlinePlus: press the feet hard against a wall, or stand on the affected leg ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)). The Office on Women's Health: "For sudden cramps, flex your foot forward" ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/body-changes-and-discomforts)). Both mean the same thing: pull your toes toward your shin, not away from it.

## Try today

### The cramp stretch

- **Time:** 3 minutes, before bed, every night this week

1. Stand an arm's length from a wall, hands flat on it.
2. Step one foot back, heel on the floor, and lean in until you feel the pull in the calf. Count slowly to twenty.
3. Swap legs. Do each side twice.
4. If a cramp wakes you anyway, press the foot hard against the wall or stand on that leg ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)), or flex the foot forward ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/body-changes-and-discomforts)).

**Make it work:** Keep it gentle. Stretching the legs before bed is MedlinePlus's suggestion for fewer cramps ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)); it isn't a workout.

## Watch for

- **Normal:** a calf cramp that eases when you stretch it; leg cramps are on this week's list ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)). **Call your provider right away** for pain and swelling in one leg but not the other, which can signal a blood clot ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)).
- **Normal:** numb or tingling legs and toes, from the growing uterus pressing on nerves ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)). **Call your provider** to check any persistent numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)).
- **Normal:** tiredness and sleep problems ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)). **Seek care immediately** for overwhelming tiredness; it's on the CDC's list of urgent maternal warning signs ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).

## For you

A cramp at 3 a.m. costs you more than the minute it lasts. MedlinePlus's sleep advice for pregnancy is plain: side-lying with the knees bent is likely the most comfortable position, a pillow between the legs relieves pressure, and short daytime naps can make up lost sleep ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)). A 15-minute warm bath or a warm, caffeine-free drink before bed can help too ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)). Don't take any sleep aid, over-the-counter or herbal, without asking your provider first ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)).

If you're the partner: when she sits up with a cramp, you don't need to know anything. Get her foot flat against the wall and stay awake until it passes.

## Sources

- NHS. "Week 19." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/
- NHS. "Week 20." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/
- MedlinePlus. "Aches and pains during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Problems sleeping during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm
- Office on Women's Health. "Body changes and discomforts." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/body-changes-and-discomforts
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER campaign, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html