SQT: 7 Ways to Manage your Cramps

A humble offering for:

So here we are for our first "Seven Quick Takes" EVER and it feels pretty flipping awesome. I mean, I'm in the same state as Kelly which makes us practically cousins or something, so it feels like a coming home in a way. I thought I'd start this wonderful tradition off with a post that is guaranteed to stop any men from ever reading my blog. Smart right? Anyway, enjoy the post and don't forget to enjoy all the other link ups at Kelly's house, This Ain't The Lyceum.

I have always had really painful cramps, like crazy painful. The worst I ever had left me curled in a fetal position, crying my eyes out and unable to take anything for the pain because I had maxed out all my medicinal options. It was AWFUL. 

So imagine my trepidation when I was told that labor pain was the worst cramps you've ever had ten times over. I'm sure the person in question was trying to be helpful but it terrified me to the point that I wouldn't even discuss labor until I was about seven months pregnant. Anytime it was brought up before that I would just give a nervous laugh and say "It's ok!! I'm just going to go to sleep and than wake up and the baby will be there! It's going to be great!" Cue crazy laughter and bring out the strait jacket. 

Well, I gave birth and I survived because that well-meaning person was a big ole' liar. Labor pain sucks, it hurts, but it's nothing we can't live through and it certainly isn't ten times worse than my menstrual cramps. It's actually only a little worse than the worst cramps I've ever had which is saying something. 

Anyway, I thought I would give you all some of my favorite tips for dealing with menstrual cramps since, you know, I'm kind of an expert. Except I'm not so be sure to talk to your doctor before doing anything crazy and remember: these things work for me but they may not work for you so don't sue me. 

Tell me someone reading this is a nerd and knows what I'm talking about.

1. Tea, Earl Grey, Hot. 

Or any tea or warm food. Cramps are your body's way of ridding yourself of your uterine lining and that unused egg (technical enough for you?) so they are very similar to contractions in that they're pushing something down and out of you. So eating/drinking something warm might be enough to help you relax and get those muscles to unclench and give you some relief. 

I love this thing.

2. Honey, Bring me the Hot Water Bottle!

I've said that one a few times. Take a hot water bottle and put it right underneath your belly. This is working on the same principle as the last tip, trying to get those muscles relaxed and help you get some sleep. I have one similar to this.

This is the extent of my stretching ability when I'm cramping.

3. Lite Yoga 

I know, I know, the last thing you want to do when you're all periody is get up and move but trust me, this just might work. Just stand up, raise your arms up over your head, then slowly bend down and try to touch your toes. You don't have to touch your toes, we just want to stretch out those abdominal muscles. When you're done, get back in bed dammit. Or you could try going around the house doing light chores. It sounds awful but moving around works sometimes. And if it doesn't you can always...

A warm bath will turn that frown upside down!

4. Take a Warm Bath 

On one occasion when my cramps were keeping me up I took a hot bath at 3:00 in the morning. It was so effective and I was so tired I ended up dozing off for about 15 minutes. I DO NOT RECOMMEND SLEEPING IN THE TUB but it felt very nice that night. Let's just say it can't make you feel worse than you already do. 

I wish I was this pretty when I'm sleeping...

5. Go to Sleep 

For me, this one only works when I feel the cramps coming on but they haven't fully hit me yet. If I can manage to fall asleep before they get really bad I can sleep through the worse of it, no problem. Honestly, using this tip for years helped me incredibly with my early labor. I fell asleep that night and since I was so used to sleeping through my cramps I slept through all of those early contractions. I woke up the next morning when my contractions were six minutes apart so.... Win!

The miraculous properties of chocolate unfortunately do not include weight loss.

6. Chocolate

There is no scientific reason that this works. It just does. Let's call it a miracle. My favorite chocolate is Hershey Symphony Bars or Dove Milk Chocolate. Yum!

This is what I take, if I take medication at all.

7. Pills

I'm putting this one last because I think pills and medication should always be a last resort but that's just me. I do use Midol pretty often but only on the first day of my period and only if I can tell that it's going to be a doozy. Talk to your doctor before taking any medication but personally, I take Midol. It's fast and effective and works for twelve hours. I've never had any side effects from it so again, win!
 
Hopefully these tips will help you manage your pain and remember, you're just training for labor!

P.S. These links all go to Amazon.com and I don't make any money off of them. I just added them to make your life easier if you want to buy anything.