Vaughne Geary - Naturopath + Birth Doula

I would love to get to know you ❤️
I am here for you through all stages and cycles of your reproductive journey. Planned or not.

I offer a 15 min COMPLIMENTARY Connection Call to get to know one another and answer any and all questions you may have about how I can support you.

Whether you’re thinking about coming off contraception, hoping to conceive in the not-too-distant future, pregnant and seeking guidance on how best to nourish yourself with food and herbs through each trimester, seeking guidance, information and advice on how to prepare for labour and birth, a mother navigating the early months of the postpartum, or riding the waves of an unexpected pregnancy loss or termination - I am here for you 🧡

Head on over to my bookings page and find a time for us to connect x

Six years ago today, I finished my first Doula training and was about to deep dive into supporting my pregnant best friend who I was living with at the time 💘

As a birth and postpartum Doula, combined with my work as a Naturopath, I’ve had the honour of supporting hundreds of mothers and families in my years of learning, growing and holding that sweet, sacred space between worlds of babes in the womb, to when they emerge into the world and change the lives of everyone around them.

Birth has my heart - and who knows, one day I might become a midwife, but the postpartum is my absolute passion, pride and joy (hello loves of my life Mama Goodness] and wifey ).
We live and breathe (and put all the blood, sweat and tears) into our small but mighty business - which has now fed Melbourne families for close to 3 years!!! The beautiful community we have gained from creating Mama Goodness] is indescribable - it’s got my heart swelling and eyes welling just thinking about it 🥹❤️‍🔥

I’m feeling extra tender and my heart is so full having been in this world pregnancy, birth and motherhood for over half a decade now - and I have a fire deep in my belly to support and connect with more mamas through my Naturopathy offerings which span from fertility and preconception, to pregnancy wellbeing and postpartum recovery.
Mothers are the absolute hearth of the home and their health is fundamental to the wellbeing of our society as a whole.

I love this work and I’m so grateful to feel like it loves me. We have our days, for sure, but there is genuinely no place I would rather be: feeling at home in the company of mothers, who have so much knowledge, love and life to give ❤️

My forever favourite of all SAVOURY BREAKFASTS 💛🐟🍞🍋🍳🥦

I’ve recently mentioned just how well blood sugar, mood and energy can be supported through the day by bringing protein and healthy fats into your morning meal, so here is the perfect example for you served up by no other than (even approves 😉)

If you’re in Melbourne, I would highly recommend taking yourself for a date - but for those of you wanting to recreate something at home, this is a delicious and nutritious breakfast to fuel you and your brain through the morning:

➕Start with a slice of dense spelt, rye or seeded sourdough
➕ Smear a thick layer of free-range whole egg mayonnaise (I highly recommend Good Fat Mayo)
➕ Slice a boiled egg and layer it on top of the mayo
➕ Drizzle the eggs with some fresh salsa verde (or a herby green pesto)
➕ Lay 3-5 anchovies over the top (preserved in pure olive oil)
➕ Squeeze with fresh lemon juice and devour!

This is honestly a full mouth or**sm and I get it if you’re not a fish fan - don’t let this deter you as you can always leave the anchovies off and you’re still getting a great serve of protein and healthy fats.

Hot tip: prep a few boiled eggs at once and make your salsa verde ahead of time, so that all you have to do is assemble through the week for a quick and easy breakfast. If you’re avoiding fish but still want a pop of healthy fats including Omega 3’s, make a pesto using walnuts or sprinkle some h**p seeds on top 😊💘

There’s lots of incredible information going around at the moment about balancing blood sugar, looking after your insulin sensitivity and optimising energy levels throughout the day by incorporating plenty of healthy fats and protein alongside your carbohydrates to slow down and optimise digestion of these macronutrients, and avoid the mood and energy crashes that can come from consuming too much glucose.

One thing I’m incredibly passionate about is discovering the optimal amounts of these nutrients for mothers - both through pregnancy and in the postpartum - and I’ve discovered recent research on just HOW MUCH protein an exclusively breastfeeding mother truly does need to consume each and every day to ensure they are providing not only themselves, but also their babies with the building blocks required for recovery, growth and development.
It’s a LOT more than what we have been told to consume, and it makes sense. A lack of protein in the diet is a major contributing factor to the likes of Gestational Diabetes, which I am seeing in my own clinic with mamas I support.

Previous studies have guided the current recommended daily amount (RDA) for breastfeeding mothers to consume 1.1grams of protein, per kilo of their body weight, per day. For a 65kg woman, this would look like consuming approximately 70g of protein per day.

More recent studies are recommending women in late pregnancy, when baby is piling on the majority of their body and organ weight, as well as during breastfeeding (when mothers are giving SO much of their own reserves to their growing baby) - to be closer to 1.7 -1.9grams of protein, per kilo of the mothers body weight, per day. When we adjust those scales - for a 65kg woman, this looks like eating approximately 110grams of protein per day!!!

That sounds like a LOT, but it is truly manageable (and delicious) when you know where and how to bring it into your daily meals and snacks. I’ll bring you some more protein boosting tips soon, including the best and easiest ways to include it in your diet.

So moved by this beautiful land art, integrating the softness and force of nature with our own footprint - one that can tread lightly and with adoration and awe for the world around us if we take the time to slow and listen.
Autumn always brings such a sense of nostalgia into my body - sometimes I can’t quite put it into words, but I feel incredibly connected to the seasons and the cycles around me, and I always think back to how much time I spent in nature as a child. Walking for hours through the local bush land to collect tadpoles, gathering leaves, twigs, flowers and berries to make potions.

As I grow older, I smile when I acknowledge just how much that little person brought with her into my adult life and how intricately I have woven the seasons and cycles into my work. As a Naturopath, considering the individual as a whole and also a sum of their parts, who exist on this earth as a reflection of their relationship with the environment around them. Using the therapeutic properties of plants and herbs in tinctures. As a Doula, where I stand and hold through birth, death and everything in between. Witnessing the sheer power of the human body to grow, birth and feed a whole other human.

Today, I would love to lay in a field with my hair woven delicately into the long, sweet grass. I crave to work with clay so that I can feel the earth on my dirty hands. This week we celebrate Earth Day, but in fact it is Earth Day, each and every morning we wake to the warmth of the sun and every shortening evening when the sky turns purple on the horizon and the moon rises in the distance.

In the words of the late Moss Cass - “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” 🤲🏼🌏
Look after her, and each other x

Artwork by & Andy Goldsworthy 🍁

EAT A SAVOURY BREAKFAST 🌞
This is a game changer for blood glucose issues, including Gestational Diabetes which I spoke about in my last post.
Breakfast is the meal of the day that gives most of my clients the s**ts, is considered “too hard basket” and often goes without any consideration or is completely forgotten. is a brilliant source for just how high blood sugar can peak after certain meals, whilst giving you better alternatives to help keep things under control.

So many people start their day without fuel in their tank, or run out the door and grab a cheeky croissant or hot cross bun on their way to work. While baked goods or carbs such as oats or a slice of toast are easy, they don’t contain any PROTEIN or HEALTHY FATS to keep you full through the morning or stabilise your blood sugar and improve your energy and concentration.

This is where many people reach mid morning and feel hungry (or hangry), want to duck out for a second coffee and often feel like they’re ready to have a nap.

Having fasted all night, breakfast is the "make or break" meal that sets up steady blood sugar levels for the rest of the day.

My number one tip for starting your day right is to eat something SAVOURY for breakfast, such as:

⭐️Smoked salmon + avocado on sourdough
⭐️Goats cheese + herb omelette
⭐️Scrambled tofu with sautéed garlic greens
⭐️ Boiled eggs, anchovies and pesto on dense grain bread

If you’re craving something sweet such as oats, make sure you pimp it up with a big dollop of nut butter, yoghurt, h**p and chia seeds, and some antioxidant rich berries.
You can also add eggs to your pancakes, as well as grass-fed collagen for an extra punch of protein 👏🏼

There are essentially 2 types of ‘Gestational Diabetes’ (GD):

1) GD that is first diagnosed during pregnancy (and is the result of a previously undiagnosed diabetes or insulin resistance)
2. GD that develops during pregnancy.

GD that has developed before 14 weeks of pregnancy (often prior to pregnancy due to high blood glucose levels and pre-existing diabetes) is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects and stillbirth. This is due to the fact that glucose in high levels is considered a toxin that can cause damage to the development of the baby’s major organs.

GD that develops during pregnancy does not occur until after 20 weeks, when the placenta causes insulin resistance. By 20 weeks of pregnancy, all of the baby’s organs have formed and risk factors that present may include the baby growing at an increased size, which can affect the weight and shape of the baby as it continues to develop. As the mothers blood glucose is continuously elevated and passes through the placenta, the baby increases their own insulin production, which can result in the additional storage of fat (especially around the upper body and shoulders). This can increase risk of shoulder dystocia and perineal tearing during birth, as well as hypoglycaemia for baby after birth. Developing GD also increases the chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes within 5 years of birth by up to 70%.

Some women have an increased risk of developing GD, including if you have:
⭐️ Family history of GD or Type 2 Diabetes
⭐️ Increased weight when conceiving your baby
⭐️ Non-caucasian
⭐️ Over 25 years old
⭐️ Previously large baby or you have experienced stillbirth

Many women are simply ‘carbohydrate intolerant’ during pregnancy, as carbs are the only food that significantly increase blood glucose levels.
There are many ways that simple nutritional swaps, exercise and lifestyle choices can improve your insulin and blood glucose levels.

I’ll be sharing some tips to help manage your blood glucose levels during pregnancy in the coming weeks 🌞

BRAIN FOOD 🧠🐟
Sardines ain’t the prettiest fish in the sea/tin, but they are jam packed full of SO much goodness that mothers need for their own cognitive function, and the development of their babies brain. Omega-3 fats, particularly DHA (docosahecaenoic acid) are required in ✨abundance✨during pregnancy and the postpartum - by babies for the healthy development of their nervous system, brain and eyes, and by mothers to protect neurones in the brain for healthy mental functioning and mood regulation.
Deficiency can lead to a stressed nervous system and anxiety, reduced mental clarity, memory and concentration difficulties and hormone imbalances amongst others.
Consuming these regularly during preconception and well into motherhood is important to ensure your stores are replenished, whilst also supporting your mental health, nervous system and development of your baby.
Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EFA’s) include:

⭐️ Oily fish (wild caught is best) including: Mackerel, Sardines, Anchovies, Trout, Salmon
⭐️ Cod Liver Oil
⭐️ Flax, Chia and H**p seeds
⭐️ Walnuts
⭐️ Algae
Eating some of these each and every day through your pregnancy and postpartum is an incredible way to nourish yourself and your baby. If you feel like you are suffering from mood, memory or hormonal concerns, a consultation with a holistic or integrative practitioner would be ideal to rule out any deficiencies, boost your nutritional intake and supplement if necessary 🍶🧡

Forever cooking lotsa tasty food and holding lotsa delicious babies ☺️☺️☺️👼🏼👼🏼👼🏼

One thing I love most about my Zoom consultations with mums is how completely comfortable they feel to whip their b***s out and feed their bambino’s from the comfort of their couch or bed 🫖🤍
A HUGE benefit of the shift to online sessions is that you can stay at home in your comfiest clothes, log in to chat with me while your baby snoozes and if they wake up?! I’m the happiest woman in the world because I get to meet your baby while you feed and we can get on with the consultation without you having to stress. I often have partners, pets and siblings drop in part way through the consultation too, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. On days when leaving the house feels impossible, when your partner is working or there is no one else around to look after your child (or if you don’t have kids and want to sneak in a self-care session on your lunch break) - we can meet and chat without anything getting in the way, and you will know that you’re looking after yourself too ❤️
📷 of .the.doula feeding her littlest love Jack by my

Your eggs take between 90-120 days to mature and regenerate for a healthy conception.⁠
⁠
During this 3-4 months before an egg reaches full maturation, the eggs are changing and preparing for ovulation. At this time, they are affected by what we eat, drink, think and do, including what we put on our bodies and use in our environment by means of skincare and cleaning products. ⁠
⁠
During the cycle of an egg’s journey towards ovulation, there is a window of opportunity and a period of time when certain factors can affect the health of the eggs that are preparing for ovulation, as well as the genetic material we pass on to our babies which can impact their long term health. These may include:⁠
⁠
- Hormonal balance⁠
- Nutritional intake⁠
- Blood Flow and oxygenation⁠
- Environmental toxins⁠
- Stress⁠
⁠
The key is to realise that the process of preparing for a healthy conception is longer than a single menstrual cycle. For example, if you get pregnant in July, the egg that becomes the embryo in July likely started its journey toward ovulation in April – or even earlier 🌷

Throughout history in most cultures around the world, women and especially mothers have gathered plants and prepared herbal medicine as a way of tending to their bodies, their babies and their community. What is nowadays deemed as ‘alternative medicine’ is in fact, the knowledge of our ancestors and the symbiotic relationship that humans have innately been drawn to and created with the environment around them. Thanks to the rich, interwoven history of our relationship with plants, combined with the ingenuity of modern day science, there is an abundance of growing evidence on the biological and physiological ways in which herbal medicine can support reproductive health. This is the basis on which I practice my Naturopathy, and I have seen SO many women and mothers benefit from the therapeutic benefits of plant medicine 🍶

Bringing herbal medicine into your postpartum care routine offers space for harnessing a gentle and environmentally conscious approach to health that also connects you with nature and your cyclical relationship with it. Herbs and plant medicine also offer an incredible variety of therapeutic benefits, including vitamins, minerals and restorative properties that have a powerful attunement and affiliation for women’s reproductive health 🤍

Happy New Year y’all! 😅
I know, I know, it’s February - but I have been living under the HUGEST rock these past few months in order to get my creative juices flowing, set myself up with exciting new offerings for the year and get many sparks flying (and brain cells imploding) with my wifey to finish our first book that we are writing together 📘🧡 (it will be available to purchase in Jan 2023). Patience is a virtue my friends 🤣
In other exciting news - the wonderful is putting the final touches on my new website and I am OBSESSED with how well she has emulated me through its pages 🥺 This is my new logo, which brings me to my biggest announcement, which if you haven’t already noticed my Insta handle name change, is that I am stepping away from my Yoni roots, and stepping into, well…ME! I’ve been Yoni Co. for the past 5 years and to this day people still message me thinking my name is actually Yoni 🤣🤣🤣 sadly, it’s not - it’s Vaughne, which is sort of similar to Va**na???
The older I get, the more I love my unusual name, and as hard as it is to spell on a coffee cup, it feels *right* to make it my brand. I’m still focusing all of my passion and experience into reproductive health, but in a broader sense.
This year, I’m sinking into my Naturopathy practice and shifting my Doula support from in-person to online, because I LOVE connecting with mothers in their pregnancy and postpartum from all over Australia and feel that this new offering helps me to support more people. My new website will be live with all of my updated offerings in the next 2 weeks, so keep your eyes peeled if you would like to work with me and I would love to hear from you - so if you have any questions just send me an email or slide into my DM’s 🤍

I love the serendipity of this work ❤️ Today I got to have a cuddle with one of my doula babies who was born in the thick of things last year - 18 months ago when I wasn’t able to be with her parents when they shifted to the hospital, but I spent hours deep in the middle of the night at home with them, holding their space until they felt it was the right time to shift to the hospital. They trusted me deeply to guide them through this and as Juliet was nearing transition, I called an amazing midwife at Box Hill hospital to prepare for their arrival, and she set up the birth space beautifully and filled the birth pool for J’s arrival so that the transition was as seamless and oxytocin boosting as possible.
Now, another mama I’m supporting in the New Year has that very same midwife I spoke to over the phone and we will hopefully be able to weave our care, knowledge and support together in the birth space - in the flesh.
I love how connected this community is and how every family I support somehow knows another, without even having made the connection when we chose one other on this journey ❤️
There is nothing like finding your people through your work - it blends into a life of passion that feels so wholesome and like I am truly held, just as much as I hold the families who choose me as their doula. It makes waking up and working hard, despite the late nights and early mornings and dark circles under your eyes, truly worth it.

And just like that, my last beautiful bebe of the year is here 💗💗💗

I received this beautiful email from one of my Naturopathy clients who I’ve had the honour of watching bloom through her pregnancy and move through the postpartum with her now almost 1 year old son!
Optimal nutrition and the support of essential nutrients and herbs is such an important foundation for growing a whole other human, whilst also keeping yourself nourished and replenished with all of the goodness you need and deserve to feel well - both physically and mentally.
It doesn’t have to be hard and it shouldn’t be a time of losing yourself down a rabbit hole of Dr. Google, unsolicited advice or guilt. This transformational time of your life requires some patience, self-compassion, dedication to yourself and bringing things back to basics, which I love to help facilitate - because your happiness and your health is SO significant 🧡

Tapping out for the weekend to immerse myself in book writing with 📒📕📗📘📙
Surrounded by the best of the best - our fellow birth workers, doulas, health professionals and mothers ❤️
See you on the other side 👋🏻

Seasons change - and my offerings do too! Just for a little while, I am stepping away from attending births 🤲🏼I have loved witnessing birth with every inch of my being. For close to 6 years, my life has been consumed by birth - through my years of Naturopathy study, building my own business and creating , birth has been the cornerstone of my work.
I’ve stood behind and knelt in front of mothers through the most powerful and humbling experience of their lives: welcoming their baby into the world.
I’ve also never experienced anxiety until this past year, and I know that it’s time to give my nervous system a breather. My body needs good rest and a chance to focus my energy into my other work in a more consistent, grounded manner. Just for a little while. I’ve been on call for the better part of 6 years, and now it’s time for me to replenish my stores, whilst still being available for you all; just not on a 24 hour basis. Oh and I’m also writing a book 😅🥳
In 2022, I am shifting my Birth Doula support away from the traditional ‘on-call’ paradigm, to offer Birth Preparation sessions for birthing people who would love the in-depth support, guidance and education that I offer, without me being present at the birth itself.
There are SO many wonderful perks to this. You will still get ALL of my insights, experience and TLC. My scope can now reach much further than inner Melbourne - to anyone wanting my support Australia wide. I want to meet more of you and offer you something that might not be available in your community, because you deserve this kind of care.
I acknowledge that not everybody is in a financial position to afford the costs of an ‘on-call’ Birth Doula, so I hope that with this new offering that I can provide some of you with the deep, intuitive, space holding that you so greatly deserve, without the price tag that comes with ‘in-person’ support.
THANK YOU for being on the this crazy, unpredictable, enriching journey that is ‘creating a sustainable work/life balance where I want to do everything but I’m literally only human’ with me. I definitely haven’t fully “got it”, but this feels like a step in the right direction.

Birth floors me. Witnessing it unfold grounds me in my feminine and connects me to Mother Nature so deeply, as I watch the innate and stunning interplay of two humans meeting themselves and one another after spending 10 moons living so intimately within the crevices of each other’s bodies. Sharing blood and oxygen and life giving energy and cells which then remain lodged within a Mothers own bodily tissues for the rest of her life, allowing their child to remain quite literally in their own heart once they’ve left the safety of the womb and gone on to have children of their own, decades later. There is nothing more sacred than watching not only the crossing of the threshold from Maiden to Mother, but also the surrender, humility, wisdom and strength that comes with being the barer and birther of new life. Birth is something that has occurred billions of times before each one I have witness to create humanity, but in those moments it feels like there is nobody and nothing else in the universe. Time suspends, and I’ve never felt more peace in my body than those sacred moments 🤲🏼🪨🌗

Today, our business baby turns TWO 💗🎂🎈and if there ever was a human who has taught me that you can be successful and continue to thrive whilst genuinely supporting others to do the same - it’s
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that starting a small business with a ‘friend of a friend’ could fruit into the bountiful richness that is our relationship, and a friendship so deep that we are now tightly woven into the fabric of each other’s families. Alongside all of the hard work we do at Mama Goodness to build community, this woman has become a foundation of my own alongside a very special and loved collective of others who support us, cheer us on and help us keep striving and thriving, even when life and the thought of working another 12 hour day at a very undervalued rate seems way too hard. I am so proud of what we have built together, and not a day goes by where I don’t count my lucky stars that I have found a beautiful balance of work and life’s leisure and pleasure with Jessica who drives me, supports me, doesn’t talk s**t to me, laughs with me, cries with me, shares an ABN and Bank Account with me, offers her fold out couch to me after one too many Vinos at our “staff dinners” and always feeds me and my soul with her humour and ginormous, warm and wonderful heart. Happy Birthday Wife! X

There is nothing that fills my cup more than supporting mamas, birthing people, families and their bebes as a Doula and Naturopath 🍵
The two practices weave and intertwine so intricately and beautifully yet I never pictured how my passions would one day come together so synergistically 🌚🌝
When I started my studies in 2012 I was so lost - yet here I am almost a decade later and I sometimes cry with happiness at how “found” I feel. I’m an ever learning, ever shifting, ever ebbing and flowing, ever growing individual. I break down. And then I break through. Some days it is hard to be inside this head of mine, inside this body. I do live with self-doubt and trepidation about my place in the world, my place in this proliferating space of incredible birth professionals, health practitioners and parenthood.
But on days like today, I feel strong and inspired and passionate and I am thankful. So grateful for my own long and winding story, experiences, trauma and triumphs that have brought me to be here. Exactly where I am with the most beautiful mothers, partners, families and humans who trust in me to walk with them on their health, wellness and parenthood journey ❤️

Cosy Postpartum visits ❤️‍🔥
After an incredibly beautiful birth last week, I dropped over to see my loves today with some warming seasonal soup, a big tray of the ultimate new mum snack: Oat, Carrot and Blueberry Brekky Bake and my own herbal Yoni steam for mama to sit over whilst wrapped up nice and warm, have some alone time to sit, breathe and soothe her perineum and reproductive tissues 🍵🤲🏼
Can you get any cuter than these two with their blankies 🥺💘

That post-birth, covered in birth, bathed in birth, schooled by birth, ruled by birth, changed from birth, in awe of birth and forever obsessed with birth feeling 😊🤲🏼🌀❤️

One last snuggle before I head out the door 🥺❤️

I love feeding new families SOOOOO much. So much so that we created , and that all comes off the back of understanding as a Naturopath just how god.damn.important it is for mother’s to fuel and nourish themselves with nutritionally dense, beautifully farmed, simple and real food cooked from the highest of quality ingredients.
During my postpartum visits I make delicious meals that are as close to nature as possible a focal point: yesterday I cooked this hearty, warming, iron boosting, fibre fuelled grass-fed beef Cottage Pie with spiced sweet potato mash inspired by my fav 🥧
Nutrient needs in the early postpartum and especially whilst breastfeeding are actually HIGHER than while you’re pregnant.
If you actually think about it, you’re still growing a baby - they are just on the outside of the womb, which means that nourishing YOURSELF should be one of your top priorities.
Whichever way you birthed, the physical exertion that your body has undergone means that you need to replenish your energy and take in additional nutrients to account for blood loss and wound healing, as well as your body undergoing significant changes as your uterus shrinks, connective tissue adapts, breasts begin producing milk, your skin regains elasticity and your hormones adjust.
You deserve to be utterly spoilt in the food department after all of the hard work you have and will continue to do as you grow and raise your child. Think about asking friends and family to start a Meal Train, prepare frozen meals for once bub arrives or take on a Postpartum Doula who can hold you, listen to you, love you and COOK FOR YOU during your Postpartum ❤️