A couple of weeks ago, I shared the exciting news that we’re expecting baby #5, and we could not be more thrilled! Earlier this year, back in January, my niece Kayla—who’s a registered dietitian and certified GAPS practitioner—came to stay with us for a few weeks in Omaha. While she was here, she put me on an intense 15-day juice cleanse, complete with daily colonic therapy, and we wrapped it all up with a liver flush.
This all started because a few years ago, my sister told me about doing this same protocol between her 5th and 6th kids. She swore it completely eliminated her morning sickness for the rest of her pregnancies—she went on to have four more! Determined to give it a try, I called in Kayla for help, and thankfully, she was up for the challenge. Let me tell you, it was no walk in the park. During and even after the cleanse, I didn’t notice much of a difference, though Kayla felt amazing since she did it with me.
Fast forward to now: I’m 14 weeks along, and I’ve been absolutely floored by how smooth this first trimester has been. It’s almost as if I wasn’t pregnant! I’ve had virtually no symptoms. For someone who has dealt with consistent levels of morning sickness with all four of my other pregnancies—boy or girl—that’s a huge deal.
To be fair, my pregnancies haven’t been too difficult by most standards. My morning sickness typically lasted only the first trimester, and the nausea was mild, as long as I didn’t go more than two hours without eating. I didn’t have wild junk food cravings but definitely experienced food aversions. My biggest challenge was extreme fatigue.
But this time? None of that! Sure, I’ve felt a little more tired than usual and maybe just a smidge emotionally fragile, but it’s nothing compared to what I went through with my first four pregnancies. It’s been a dream, and I’m convinced it’s all thanks to the cleanse. Stuart’s not 100% sold on the idea, but hey, he’s happy I’m feeling great, so that’s a win.
The cleanse itself was rooted in the idea that liver toxicity can be a major factor in morning sickness. First, we tackled the colon with a juice cleanse. Kayla created an e-book with the details for those interested. Our juicer was working overtime because the ingredients consist of real food in juice form and supplements, not medication, but I recommend clearing it with your naturopathic doctor beforehand, just in case.
I was also doing daily hydrotherapy (basically, an enema on steroids) to get things squeaky clean and prepare for the liver flush. The juice cleanse kept new solids out of my system while still providing nutrients, and the hydrotherapy cleared out years of buildup. I was honestly shocked—and kind of grossed out—by what came out. We’re talking black sludge from years of buildup.
Once my colon was ready, I moved on to the liver flush using the protocol from The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush. The key is ensuring the colon is clean so the liver toxins don’t get reabsorbed into your body. The liver flush itself involved drinking Epsom salts and olive oil and staying close to a toilet for 24 hours. It was gross, but I’m so glad I did it.
I’m truly amazed by how effective it’s been. That said, every body is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all cure for morning sickness. But if you’re struggling, this might be something to explore.
As for the baby, we’re planning to find out the gender around 20 weeks, but we’re in no rush. Meanwhile, I’ve been staying active, working out six days a week, something I started long before getting pregnant. I used to reward myself with massages every three weeks if I stuck to my routine, but now the motivation is just doing it to prove to myself that I can. Fourteen weeks in and still going strong!
If you’re curious about how I stayed motivated to work out even when I didn’t feel like it, stay tuned for another newsletter—there’s a whole story there!
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