*Note: Jenny is currently working on her fourth book Liver Cleansing during the Childbearing Season. She hopes to have it available soon for purchase. )

The Liver is the master organ for pregnancy. During early gestation the mother’s liver must filter the waste for the baby. My favorite nutrition book (available off the home page of my web site) is The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline. Not only does this book contain all of the research on pregnancy nutrition carefully compiled by Gail Sforza Krebs and medical consulting by Thomas Brewer, M.D, but it also has the best pregnancy diet for making a healthy baby. It also recognizes that many women are drawn to a vegetarian or even vegan diet during the mothering years and has the correct diets for building healthy babies using non-animal foods. Here is a couple of great quotes from the book.

“How exactly does the mother’s diet determine the way her baby grows? As previously mentioned, the placenta is the organ, which nourishes the baby from the earliest weeks of pregnancy. A multi-service organ, it works as the baby’s stomach, liver, kidneys and lungs until the moment of birth. At birth, a healthy placenta weighs one and a half to two pounds, is the size and shape of a small dinner plate, and is an inch or more thick. Its large flat surface is firmly attached to the wall of the uterus by thin, but extremely strong fibers made up principally of collagen (the same substance that supports tissue throughout the body). These collagen fibers are synthesized from protein and vitamin C—assuming the mother’s diet is adequate in these nutrients to make the collagen synthesis occur. Under normal conditions, the collagen fibers are storing enough to keep the placenta firmly attached to the wall of the Uterus throughout labor, separating from the uterus and being expelled only after the baby is born. Blood vessels form a network throughout the placenta, feeding into the baby via the umbilical cord. The cord is the lifeline from mother to baby through which 300 quarts of blood per day are circulated. Many square yards of contact surface develop in the placenta over the course of pregnancy to facilitate the vital exchange of nutrients and waste products between mother and baby.

After the mother eats a meal, the food is digested, absorbed, and passed into her liver which ten releases essential nutrients into her bloodstream. These nutrients reach a level of concentration higher in the mother’s blood than in the baby’s, so they readily pass through the very thin walls of the baby’s capillaries into the baby’s circulation. This process of diffusion works the same way in the transfer of oxygen from mother to baby. The nutrient rich blood finally circulates through the baby’s liver, where the nutrients are recombined into the protein building blocks the baby needs for growth and development. There is no direct mixing of the baby’s blood with the mother’s. Each remains in its own circulation. Yes, they are intimately connected.

The outdated idea that the placenta can somehow extract nutrients from the mother, which are not in her circulation is a threat to sound pregnancy nutrition. In a sense, the baby is in competition with all the tissues of the mother’s body, which also require continual nourishment from her bloodstream. If the mother fails to take in all essential nutrients in large enough proportions to sustain the increased demands of pregnancy, her baby will not magically receive what it needs for optimal growth. The baby does not have top priority for nutrients. In fact, there are numerous reliable studies that show the opposite.

Aaron Lechtig and his collaborators have reported that even moderate maternal malnutrition interferes with the process of placental cell proliferation, resulting in abnormally small placentas. When the size of the placenta is reduced, the surface area available for nutrient transfer is correspondingly reduced. Many researchers now conclude that small, thin, underdeveloped placentas are associated with small, thin underdeveloped babies. Very simply, a small placenta cannot transfer as many nutrients to the growing baby as a larger one. So, the baby does not weigh as much as it should at birth, even it if is born at term.

During the last eight weeks of pregnancy, if the mother’s diet is adequate, the baby gains an ounce a day. Brain development occurs at the most rapid rate ever. The baby requires more oxygen and nutrients of all types—including proteins, vitamins, minerals, and calories—than earlier in pregnancy. If the mother is told she has gained enough weight already or that her blood pressure is elevated somewhat and put on a low-calorie, low salt diet at this crucial time, or put on drugs that diminish her appetite by making her sleepy or disoriented, the baby will be denied the nutrients needed to accomplish normal development. A restrictive diet, or drug therapy that results in a reduction in the mother’s nutrient intake, cause the mother’s blood volume to shrink, reducing the amount of blood flowing through the placenta. The baby can suffer intrauterine growth retardation from this reduction of placental blood flow. When less blood passes through the placenta, fewer nutrients pass to the baby during any given period of time.

The national institutes of health “collaborative study of cerebral palsy” published in 1968, drew a clear cut relationship between weight of the placenta and birth weight of the baby. When the placentas in one study group weighed only seven to fourteen ounces, over 22 percent of the babies weighed less than five and a half pounds. In another group, the placentas weighed fourteen to twenty-one ounces and low birth weight dropped to 3 percent. In over 1,700 cases the placenta weighed more than twenty-one ounces. Low birth weight fell to 0.5 percent in this group! A total of 31,966 infants were evaluated in this study, a large enough sample to meet any standard of scientific evidence! Clearly, maternal nutrition governs the size of both placenta and baby. It is also responsible for the secure implantation of the placenta on the uterine wall.”
The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline, what every pregnant woman should know about Nutrition, Bedrest, and Drugs in Normal and High-Risk Pregnancy P.76-77

“The liver is the master gland of metabolism and cellular nutrition. All food substances absorbed from the stomach and intestines pass directly into the liver where they are changed in various ways to provide all the cells of the body with food materials for growth, repair, and energy. Special enzymes and proteins, such as the albumin discussed previously, are continually formed and released into the bloodstream.

During pregnancy there is an increased need for proteins. Growth and development of the baby, growth of the uterus, growth of the placenta, expansion of blood volume, and storage of protein for use in later breastfeeding – all of these demand increased liver metabolism. A good diet throughout pregnancy provides the liver with the needed food substances to fulfill its round-the-clock task of meeting stepped-up nutritional demands.

A second function the liver performs at higher levels in pregnancy is neutralizing and excreting harmful poisons which originate in the lower bowel. Termed its detoxication function, it has led to the liver being termed “the watchdog of the abdomen.” All blood draining the stomach and intestinal tract goes first into the liver, where it is filtered before passing into the general circulation. The liver then excretes all toxic substances in the bile and urine.

Female hormones produced in large quantities by the placenta are also detoxified and excreted by the liver. Towards the end of pregnancy, the amount of hormones produced daily is several hundred times greater than the amount contained in a birth control pill. If the mother is malnourished, the liver may fall behind in its task of clearing these hormones and other toxins from the body. They then accumulate in the liver and body tissues and begin to impair the liver’s ability to function. The poorly nourished woman’s liver cannot meet these extreme demands for detoxification.

Furthermore, research confirms that stressed livers of poorly nourished pregnant women also have low resistance to liver infections. These liver disorders can further damage the lier’s ability to carry on its metabolic functions. A pregnant woman who develops a liver infection is at greater risk because of the extra stress pregnancy imposes on this organ. When liver damage is significant in pregnancy, it is termed severe MRLP, or HELLP Syndrome, and includes a reduced ability to synthesize blood proteins and platelets. The liver may develop fatty infiltrations and may rupture. These liver conditions are a leading cause of maternal deaths in third world nations and the developed world alike. The well-nourished mother’s liver can work at peak efficiency throughout pregnancy in detoxication, thus protecting herself and her baby from needless infection, severe MRLP/HELLP and other life-threatening disorders.”
The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline, what every pregnant woman should know about Nutrition, Bedrest, and Drugs in Normal and High-Risk Pregnancy P.69-70

Many of us have livers clogged and congested with solid waste. Four years ago I began doing liver cleanses. It has been incredible to me to see what I have passed out of my body since that time. Thousands and thousands of stones, generally the size of a small pea and looking somewhat like overcooked peas in color and shape. It has been suggested that these stones have at their heart a little dead parasite, a flute, which having been filtered by the liver, stays inside and over time is covered with layer upon layer of cholesterol until the stones becomes solid. Anyone who suffers from food and chemical allergies has thousands of these stones congesting their liver.
Don’t believe me?
Do a flush and see what comes out.

Here is my simple recipe for a liver cleanse.

1. Purchase the Cleansing Trio, Di-Tone Essential oil blend, and Parafree from Young Living Essential Oils –My member number if you wish to order is #29526 http://www.youngliving.com – spend two weeks taking all four of the food products – Comfortone, ICP, Megazyme, and Parafree. Rub Di-Tone on your feet morning and night. Drink at least eight glasses of pure water every day of this cleanse. Eat your normal diet but emphasize raw fruits and vegetables and fresh garden salads.

2. When the two weeks are finished fast for three days with just pure water and the fabulous Young Living product, Mineral Essence . Put squirt after squirt of it into your water and glug it down.

3. At the end of the three-day water fast, drink fresh pressed fruit juices, like Apple, orange, and Black Cherry. You can drink bottled juice, but fresh is better. Drink this juice for a day or so. This will help to soften up the stones in your liver and gall bladder.

4. Start the liver cleanse by preparing some Epsom salts in water – Two tablespoons in three cups of water, refrigerate. This concoction will help to open up the bile ducts and release the stones.

5. Drink ¾ cup of the cold Epsom salts – rinse your mouth with a few sips of water. Wait two hours. Get your grapefruit out of the fridge, and let it sit on the counter.

6. Drink another ¾ cup of the Epsom salts – wait two hours

7. Get your infusion of Olive Oil and Grapefruit ready. I always press the grapefruit fresh and heat the olive oil just a little in a pan on the stove – (do NOT microwave to heat this!!!) Use at least ½ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of grapefruit juice. I usually use a full cup of each. Right before I drink down the olive oil drink, I do five Yoga sun salutations to open up my digestive tract. I also put White Angelica Blend Essential Oil from Young Living on my shoulders to help protect me from any negativity that might be released from my liver. The liver is the anger center of the body and if you think the emotion that might be released could overwhelm your spirit, the white angelica oil protects against negativity and just sends it out of the body. I also put Juva Flex Blend Oil on the reflex point for my liver on my right foot and a few drops directly over my liver (Under the ribcage on the right side of the body.) Then I go stand next to my bed and put quite a few pillows on it. I drink the infusion quickly and then lie down on my back with my head elevated and start breathing, deeply. I hold still as much as possible, only moving if I feel guided to. You may need to run to the bathroom to poop, but if you can hold it in, then do, for as long as you can. Take a nap or go to sleep for the night. You may feel the stones moving through the bile duct out of the liver, it feels like small marbles gently moving along.

8. After six hours do another infusion of the warm olive oil and grapefruit. I just repeat the above steps with the Yoga, the oils, and lying on my bed.

9. After another six hours, I again repeat these steps. Completing the infusion at least three times. The most I have ever done the flush was five times over three days. I ate no food, just drank pure water as I needed it. This is a great way to cleanse and invigorate your liver. The stones that I removed during my huge cleanse numbered in the hundreds and the biggest ones were the size of a quarter. I know this is difficult to believe and so I will share a picture of some of the stones that passed out of me, next to a six-inch ruler.

10. You can do one liver flush or as many as you have time to do, just make sure you have the six-hour span between infusions so as not to overwhelm your colon. It takes at least twenty liver flushes to rid the body of the stones that cause Food and Chemical Allergies. I have now done thirteen over the past four years. I plan to continue on until I am no longer allergic. I know I am healing because once I was allergic to cats and recently I slept in a bedroom where a Siamese cat lived and I did not even have a sniffle.

11. When you are ready to begin introducing food into your digestive system again, go light, raw fruits and juices, salad, and liquid proteins are good until your system gets revved up again. After a few days of recovery, you will feel much better, very clear headed. I have noticed that I always seem to notice beauty more when I have just done a flush. A beautiful flower thrills me, the sunset renews my spirit and a sparkling rainbow is something to be savored. I don’t know exactly why doing the liver cleanse has this effect on me, but it does and it is nice.

12. I also break out in rashes when I cleanse. I don’t know if this will happen to you. I have always suffered with skin problems and so it is the way my body likes to put toxins out. I also don’t have the important detoxing organs, my appendix and my tonsils (stolen from me by the medical profession because of my ignorance), so perhaps to help my digestive tract a little, my skin works harder to de-tox than others. Here is a picture of me during the cleanse. My hands and face are all broken out.

The liver cleanse is something that can be done throughout life. I have never done one when I was pregnant, but I would only imagine it would be safer than gall bladder surgery if a Mother was to have a gall bladder attack during her pregnancy.

I plan to continue to do these flushes every six months for the rest of my life. It is simple, cheap, and it works! If you are not convinced on the cheap part, just call your local hospital and ask them the going rate for gall bladder removal. My guess is that you would be able to purchase dozens and dozens of Cleansing Trio kits, Parafree, the oils, and bag after bag of grapefruit, and dozens of cans of Olive oil. Besides all the savings on allergy medication, etc….

I started having gall bladder attacks during my second pregnancy in 1991. I had no idea what caused them, but I noticed that I felt worse after eating a heavy meal. So I ate lots of fresh fruits and vegetables during her pregnancy and no dairy at all. I just couldn’t stomach it. But dairy foods have many nutrients that are beneficial for pregnant Moms and I wish I had been able to digest better. If I had known about these cleanses I could have saved myself so much pain, literal pain. Only those who pass a gall stone know the pain. The pain comes from the stone grinding through the bile duct.

Those pains continued on and off for the next five years until my chiropractor introduced us to the liver flush. I have shared my own recipe, using the Young Living products. I think the Young Living Cleansing foods are the most effective colon cleansers on the market. But many recipes and herbal formulas are available at health food stores and whole web pages are on the internet that tell how to do an effective digestive tract cleanse. Everyone has a slightly different recipe.

Any OB will tell you the detoxifying organs are the ones most stressed during pregnancy. By cleansing them well before conception, (Dads should also participate in this cleansing!), the nasty symptoms of pregnancy are lessened. Less nausea, less heartburn, more energy, better transfer of nutrients from mother to baby, better assimilation of nutrients from food taken into the cells of the body. Less TOXEMIA, which has been described by Tom Brewer MD, as a disease, of MALNUTRITION. Gail Sforza Krebs and Tom Brewer have written several excellent books on pregnancy nutrition. The best is, The Brewer Pregnancy Hotline, what every pregnant woman should know about Nutrition, Bedrest, and Drugs in Normal and High Risk Pregnancy. Because this book is the absolute best nutrition read on the market for pregnancy, I have linked to it from my website. It is available in e-book or regular form. Go to www.naturalfamily.com to purchase it.