Six months pregnant left rib pain

We all know that when a woman is six months pregnant, she has entered the middle stage of pregnancy. At this time, the fetuses in many women's stomachs will be very stable, and the fetuses can already move. They can kick their calves by themselves to tell their mothers of their existence. At six months, the pregnant woman's belly will become more obvious, but some pregnant women will experience pain in the left ribs at six months of pregnancy. What's going on?

Leg cramps during pregnancy can cause decalcification of the mother's bones in severe cases, causing the bones to soften and even causing tooth loss. If the fetus does not get enough calcium, it is easy to develop congenital laryngeal cartilage softening. When the newborn inhales, the congenital cartilage curls up and contacts the larynx, which can easily block the entrance of the larynx and produce snoring, which is very detrimental to the health of the newborn. More importantly, if the fetus does not take in enough calcium, it is very likely to suffer from rickets such as skull softening, square skull, abnormal closure of the anterior fontanelle, beaded ribs, pigeon chest or funnel brain after birth. Calcium balance tests show that pregnant women can only achieve balance if they consume 1.5 grams of calcium per day.

Therefore, pregnant women should selectively eat more calcium-rich foods, such as snow mustard, mustard tuber, kelp, seaweed, hawthorn, nuts, and beans. Milk, dried shrimps and sesame paste, vitamin D can help the absorption of calcium, so we should appropriately increase the intake of foods rich in vitamin D in our diet, such as butter, egg yolks, animal liver, etc. Since calcium easily combines with phytic acid and oxalic acid in food to form insoluble calcium salts, which makes calcium unable to be fully absorbed and utilized, foods rich in phytic acid and oxalic acid, such as spinach, bamboo shoots, cattail leaves, rye, oats, etc., should not be cooked together with foods rich in calcium.

As long as pregnant women eat more calcium-rich foods, they do not need to take extra large amounts of calcium tablets or other calcium preparations. The calcium absorbed through food is sufficient to meet the needs of pregnant women and fetuses. If pregnant women take large amounts of extra calcium supplements, it may cause hypercalcemia or even stones. This is a potential hidden danger for children and should be given special attention.

More than half of pregnant women experience leg cramps during pregnancy, especially at night when sleeping. The reason is that pregnant women gradually gain weight during pregnancy, the burden on their legs increases, and their leg muscles are often in a state of fatigue; in addition, after pregnancy, the need for calcium increases significantly. After pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimesters, the daily calcium requirement increases to 1200 mg. If the diet does not contain enough calcium and vitamin D or there is a lack of sunlight, the calcium deficiency will be aggravated, thereby increasing the excitability of muscles and nerves. The blood calcium level at night is lower than during the day, so calf cramps often occur at night. Once cramps occur, the symptoms can be quickly relieved by pushing the toes toward the head or pushing the heels down hard to over-flex the ankle joint and tighten the gastrocnemius muscle.

To avoid leg cramps, be careful not to over-strain your leg muscles. Do not wear high heels; massage your legs and feet before going to bed; consume more foods rich in calcium and vitamin D; engage in appropriate outdoor activities and get sunlight exposure; take calcium supplements and vitamin D if necessary.