I consider myself to have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but this pain was excruciating and it was certainly the result of one of the many strange things that occurs in a woman's body when she has a person growing inside of her. Let's just pause there for a minute while I venture onto a momentary tangent. Saying that someone is merely pregnant really diminishes the reality of what is going on. Yes, pregnancy is a common occurrence, but this doesn't take away from the ridiculous miracle that this entails. A PERSON. In my belly. Weird. You wouldn't believe the daggers that I shoot at my husband when he dares to utter such phrases as "I'm so tired today" or "My back hurts". You're tired? Your back hurts? I have a person inside of me!
Now back to the matter at hand. The pain. It all started when my baby belly reached that point of vastness indicating that my only option is to sleep on my side. As I entered into this stage, the leg cramps simultaneously began to define my life and impose on my sleep. For nearly two months I woke up in the night writhing in pain. Every. Single. Night.
A little over a month ago I was taking a walk with my mom around the neighborhood and I mentioned my tormenting leg cramps. "Well, you know," she began, "An old lady in your uncle's church told him a while back that if you put a bar of soap in your bed, your leg cramps will go away." I laughed out loud. This was certainly one of the craziest pieces of information that had ever been passed my way and I make it a point to never believe such superstitions. She proceeded to tell me that both my uncle and my grandma have had a bar of soap in their beds for the past year and they have been cramp-free. Specifically, they have placed a bar of soap in a sock and positioned it at the bottom of their beds. She also told me that the soap has to be white, but it cannot be Dove brand. Oh, so this unbelievable wive's tale has specific rules? I greatly respect both my uncle and my grandma, but I would not be paying any heed to this remedy.
The next night I found myself in a hotel room on a retreat with several of the Resident Directors that I work with and I casually mentioned that if my tossing and turning in the night was distracting, it would be because of my nightly cramps. "Well, you know," one of the ladies began, "My grandma used to have leg cramps..." She then continued to tell me the same story of the success of the bar of soap in the bed. I was dumbfounded. I don't believe in this type of thing and I don't believe in signs, but maybe this was a sign. Two days in a row I was given the same senseless information. Maybe it was sign that I needed to give it a try and find some relief.
When I returned home, I humbly told my mom of my intentions to give it a try. She provided me with two new bars of white Safeguard from her stash and sent me on my way. I opened the cabinet in my laundry room, happy to finally have some use for one of the socks whose mate had mysteriously been eaten by the dryer. The soap was securely placed in the sock and carefully placed at the base of my bed.
A month later, I crawl into my bed each night and reflexively rub my foot against the sock containing the soap for the assurance that it is still there to protect me from leg cramps. Yes, it works. From the very first night this nighttime companion entered my world, it has eliminated my leg cramps. I won't say that I'm a believer. This is still too much for me to admit, but there is absolutely no way that I am taking that bar of soap out of my bed. I even have an extra soap in a sock that has a home in my travel bag, always ready to join me when I leave town for the night.
I know that you don't believe it either, and I certainly don't blame you, but I dare you to give it a try. Whether you have leg cramps or not, Google "soap leg cramps." You will find a plethora of information and success stories to keep you entertained and wide-eyed for hours.
