These tips refer to the gallbladder cleanse described in the book Are You "Stoned"?  A Quick, Easy Guide for the Natural Removal of Gallstones, by Claude M. Lewis, D.C., et. al.  You should read the book thoroughly once or twice first, or these tips won't be too helpful to you.  I purposely left out specific information on pre- and post-cleanse foods and supplements so that you would read the book.  Above all, do not attempt the fast or cleanse without reading Dr. Lewis' book first!

One more word of warning:  although the book mentions that the cleanse is quite safe to perform during pregnancy, it does not cover what to do while breastfeeding.  If you are a breastfeeding mom with gallstone problems, you should know that this cleanse on top of nursing may be quite a drain on your body, particularly if you do the pre-cleanse fast.  When I did the fast and cleanse while breastfeeding our ten-month-old baby, I lost all the rest of my "baby fat" and then some, dropping down to a badly underweight 111 pounds.  It took me several months to regain some of that lost weight.  With this in mind, you may want to try dietary strategies before resorting to the cleanse.  Perhaps a reduced-fat diet will see you through at least until your child weans.

If you really need or want to go ahead with the cleanse, here are some things I learned through my own experience:

The book indicates that before doing the cleanse, you must clear your digestive tract of as much solids as possible.  This will permit the cleansing agents (olive oil and lemon juice) and the gallstones to pass more quickly (in hours rather than in a day or two).  Also, according to Dr. Lewis, a cleaned-out colon helps to greatly reduce any nausea you might otherwise experience during the cleanse.   For some people, the cleanse is no big deal at all, but for others, it can be quite draining and rather unpleasant (still, it beats surgery by a mile!)  In my case, it was like I had given myself the 24-hour flu minus the fever and chills.  I didn't have any pain during the cleanse, but I did feel very nauseous and sloshy unless I lay very still.  I vomited once and my lower digestive tract felt pretty crampy as the cleansing mixture and the stones passed through. But it was well worth it:  I passed about 2/3 cup of gallstones altogether, and have had no gallbladder attacks since then (almost a year now).

For the pre-cleanse juice fast, I would say if you are already down to prepartum weight, just fast a day or so instead of the two to three days Dr. Lewis recommends.  This is to help prevent excessive weight loss due to the fasting plus continued breastfeeding.  Drink as much of the recommended juices as you wish, not only to keep up your own strength, but to help maintain your milk supply too.

During the pre-cleanse phase, I would also suggest an enema, which I didn't do.  I tried an herbal laxative but it didn't seem to do a thing.  It sounds yucky to do the enema, but I think it would help clear you out so that all the stones and oil can be passed that much sooner.  As for the colonic, I've never had one done.  From what I've read, I'm not sure I'd ever want to have one anyway.

Now to the cleanse itself.  The olive oil gets pretty diffficult to swallow after the first few doses;  I found it helped to chase each dose of oil with the accompanying dose of lemon juice.  After taking the lemon juice, you should rinse your mouth with water, then spit out all the water (don't swallow!)  The lemon juice is hard on your teeth, that's why you should rinse it off.

If you can't stomach all of the recommended amount of olive oil, take heart.  I could only take a little more than half of what the book said to take, yet it was still enough to do the job.

Once you've taken the oil and juice, and before you go to bed, be sure to empty your bladder so that you don't have to get up while the cleansing mixture is doing its work.

A few hours after you have taken all the olive oil and lemon juice you can handle, while you are lying quietly on your right side as the book directs, you may find yourself very thirsty, since nursing a baby plus no fluids will likely increase your thirst.  At that point you may wish to suck on some ice chips or a wet washcloth, just like you may have done during labor.  For this phase it is essential that you have someone to bring you the ice chips etc., to change baby, and to bring baby to you for nursing.  To nurse, just keep lying on your right side and have baby lying down next to you.  To nurse the left side, just lean over a little more so baby can access the left bosom.  If you wish, you may pump and freeze some milk ahead of time so that your helper can bottlefeed your baby during the cleanse.  But if you're like me, you need to nurse fairly often to prevent plugged milk ducts.   During the hours-long cleansing phase, it's generally easier to just go ahead and nurse, rather than to try to use a breast pump while lying down on your side.

After some hours, your stomach will be empty and you will be pooping and passing stones.  When you feel like eating again, Dr. Lewis has a list of mild foods that your newly-cleansed gallbladder and digestive tract will be able to handle.  In my case, I just wanted fresh fruit at first, particularly chilled organic cantaloupe, which I found very refreshing.  As a nursing mom, you should also start drinking lots of fluids again.  You may experience a temporary dip in your milk supply, particularly on cleanse day or the day after, but as long as you keep your fluids up and eat as much of the recommended foods as you can handle, your milk supply should soon go back up to normal levels (mine did).

Dr. Lewis' book states that many people feel fantastic soon after the cleanse:  they have a lot more energy and all their nasty symptoms are gone.  For me, it was different.   The first two or three days after the cleanse, I was very weak and nauseous and could only handle raw fruits and vegetables, and unleavened sprouted bread ("manna bread", sold in health food stores).  The book recommends 30 days post-cleanse of this sort of food:  very low-fat, no fried or greasy foods, no rich foods.  I agree;  I myself couldn't tolerate fatty foods at all.  I am still eating as low-fat as I can to help prevent new gallstones from forming and to avoid any future gallbladder attacks. 

Dr. Lewis also strongly recommends a regimen of herbal and vitamin supplements to be taken for the 30 days following the cleanse.  I did follow his recommendations but discontinued the herbs, particularly the milk thistle, after the 30 days had elapsed. 

My gallbladder had been pretty messed up, as I became jaundiced after my most severe attack two weeks prior to the cleanse.  I am very thankful to have found Dr. Lewis' book, which enabled me to "fix the problem" and restore my gallbladder to a healthier state.

More information on gallbladder cleanses may be found at Dr. Joseph Mercola's site;  see the article Gall Bladder Flushes and Cleanses.