GAPS Into Stage 1 (Day 1-4)

So much to say. Too little time. So I will summarize. Our GAPS journey has officially started. Today marks day 11 for Jacob and day four for Sam, Simone and me. I'll be journaling our progress for my own sake as well as for anyone who's interested in seeing how it goes.

Day One
Sam and Simone started on the diet with only a little cheat. They had a tiny spoonful of honey mixed with probiotics and Sam ate less than ten almonds. Other than that we ate homemade chicken broth, well cooked veggies, a spoonful of fermented sauerkraut juice, coconut oil, kefir and boiled chicken meat. The kids handled the first day pretty well with little complaining.

Day Two
Sam
Woke up with a runny nose, low grade fever and the "sick" breath. He had low energy most of the day and wasn't as enthusiastic about soup as he had been the day before. However, for the FIRST time ever, he asked for kifir and drank at least 6oz. He also wanted to try sauerkraut. So bizarre because he's such a picky eater.

Simone
Simone kept up a healthy appetite but clearly started to crave something sweet. I gave both her and Sam a few ounces of homemade kombucha to satisfy their sweet tooth. It's on the illegal list until a later stage. She had diarrhea this day.

Day 3
Sam
First things he did upon waking was run into my room and tell me he had to puke. He didn't throw up much but wretched pretty violently. He was very weak the remainder of the day and laid on the couch, not moving much. He barely ate anything until later that evening when he enjoyed a huge helping of chicken, veggies and plenty of grassfed butter with a cup of broth. After dinner he drank some kefir and thoroughly savored two heaping spoonfuls of coconut oil. Another miracle. It was incredible to watch him consume, crave and ask for foods he's never touched before.

Simone
She seemed extra cuddly and had flushed cheeks and a low grade fever. She was up and about more than Sam but still a little tired. She ate plenty of fermented cabbage and fermented juice along with bowls of stock, veggies and meat. Around midmorning she started acting out, getting furious with me because she wanted something sweet. About 6 months ago I bought organic suckers from Trader Joes. I was shocked when she told me she wanted suckers and pointed up to the cabinet where I had kept them. How crazy is it that a 2 year old has that good of a memory?! When I told her I didn't have suckers she got more angry, then asked for honey, then begged for kombucha. It was heart wrenching to see her so angry and upset and actually disparing at not being able to have something sweet. I totally felt for her and understand what she's going through. I've considered her the healthy one in our family but clearly, as she became irrational, I realized her little body was definitely going through some sort of pathogen die-off. I could tell she wanted to hit me with her little clenched fists... but she didn't. She's such a sweetheart. I was ready to throw in the towel several times that day. It was hellish to say the least as her meltdowns continued. She was in tears many times.

Day 4
Sam
He threw up mid afternoon. More mucus and the few carrot chunks he'd eaten that day. He complained of his leg hurting. I'd read that muscle cramping is often a detox symptom so I offered to  message his leg and it seemed to help.  I read that it's normal for children to throw up on the 3rd and 4rth day... which is exactly what happened with Sam. I also read that it could have to do with blood sugar levels dropping too fast so around 6pm I juiced 1/2 organic apple and 1 carrot and split the juice between Sam and Simone. The way they held the cups in their hands and savored that shot of juice was interesting to watch. Sam was much perkier after that but quickly fell back into his previous state, which was collapsing to the floor and saying he had no energy. And I believe every word because the poor kid chose not to eat all day other than the shot of juice and a few spoonfuls of coconut oil and some sips of ginger/lemon tea. I even offered to spoon-feed him dinner because he truly looks weak and thin but he refused. Tomorrow (day 5) I will back off the coconut oil as it can kill bacteria and cause severe detoxing symptoms. Hopefully he will regain his appetite and gain a little weight back. He's looking pretty sick right now. While it's nerve wracking to watch him not eat for days in a row, it's also encouraging to see the pathogens die off. Every symptom he's experienced, from vomiting mucous, to the constipation to the fever and lack of appetite  has been spot on with everything I've read. It's very normal to experience these things, along with many others, as the gut heals and bad bacteria die. I'm praying I stay strong and can stick it out so that I can give my kids a healthier start to their lives than I had.

Simone
Ate a lot of kefir, broth, veggies, butter, coconut oil and chicken. Even got creative and dipped her chicken in the kefir and loved it. She didn't ask for kombucha but did ask for honey several times. I found that distracting her from her cravings was helpful. I tried to keep her busy with crafts, building blocks and baby dolls. She still had meltdowns at silly things. She seemed to be more sensitive and emotional today than yesterday.

I am following the GAPS full diet as it's not safe to do the intro-diet while pregnant or nursing because of how the toxins produced can affect the baby. Today I ate the homemade stocks, boiled meats and veggies, lots of coconut oil and grassfed butter, chicken fat along with 1 apple, a handful of prunes, a couple TBSP of peanut butter, cacao nibs, kombucha, honey and coconut shreds. I've also been adding in a nightly enema which is recommended especially in this stage of the diet. I'm having a hard time satiating my hunger and find myself wanting to eat hourly... which is typical in this stage. My spirits tend to be high in the evening but pretty low at the beginning of the day. Probably because I know whats ahead of me. Constantly dealing with greasy, messy food, seeing chicken stock all day long and dealing with upset kids. Blah. I'm already so tired of it. The food tastes fine.. In fact, it tastes good but not good enough that I crave it.

Thankfully Jake is doing perfectly fine on the diet. He has been a huge support during the day while I'm at home dealing with fussy kids. He is such a strong person and has been a rock for me in the last few day. The first week of the diet was rough on him as his energy levels dropped and he felt very weak. But each days seems a little better and he has commented daily on his continued clarity of mind and how his emotions seem to be stabilizing. He is less stressed by the little things and has a much happier demeanor.