Chill Mama Wellness

Chill Mama Wellness Amy Vaccaro, RN, RM. Yoga and meditation teacher. NMW0001100976/77 Teaching yoga and meditation. You deserve health and peace ��

My friend:“…It’s like my body says you need to cocoon, rest and calm and I can’t get out of my head that i am being lazy...
20/06/2026

My friend:
“…It’s like my body says you need to cocoon, rest and calm and I can’t get out of my head that i am being lazy and gross…”

Enter: wintering ❄️☃️

Rather than fighting to maintain peak productivity, wintering is a mindful retreat to conserve energy. Just as trees draw their energy into their roots during the winter to prepare for spring, humans also require fallow periods to recharge. Wintering provides us with necessary periods for rest, reflection, and repair.

Unfortunately, our industrialised society makes us feel guilty and slobbish for resting. Rest during perimenopause and menopause is absolutely essential and I’m over feeling guilty for it (mostly because I’m too exhausted to care! 😂). So here I am all cocooned this afternoon, nap trapped by Chico, the new addition to our family since my father in law passed away, with laundry in the background in hope of getting dry on this very damp weekend.


18/06/2026

I say quick one, I lied 😂
When you’re using the extended exhalation method, remember to breath in and out through your nose. Mouth breathing will increase sympathetic drive (stress response).



Finishing off a really busy couple of days back in the clinic with an online webinar tonight with Australasian Menopause...
17/06/2026

Finishing off a really busy couple of days back in the clinic with an online webinar tonight with Australasian Menopause Society about pathology tests during menopause and perimenopause.

Ongoing CPD is important to Dr Liz Onley and I MEDICAL - LASER & AESTHETICS and so is addressing women’s primary healthcare needs at this life stage.

During our initial assessment we talk about things like bowel screening, cervical screening, bone density testing, and breast screening. To get a sense of your cardiovascular health we discuss diet, exercise, stress, sleep, check blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturations. Basic blood tests can also form part of an initial menopause/perimenopause assessment depending on individual need.

Our initial assessment and ongoing care is face to face, holistic and comprehensive, because hormones are important, but understanding your baseline health at midlife and optimising it so you can live your best life, is most important.

I am the queen of the post-it note. I bloody love them. If you have ever had a consult with me, likely you’ve left the c...
10/06/2026

I am the queen of the post-it note. I bloody love them. If you have ever had a consult with me, likely you’ve left the consult with at least one, with a quick recommendation, referral or idea scribbled on it for you to look further into.

Sometimes, I write them for myself if a patient says something interesting, insightful, or something I need to follow up on for my own learning. This particular consult was fruitful - the patient told me about “the buff m**f method” (no questions this needed further attention on my part), and then she said something really, really applicable to everyone who has ever sat in the pink swivel chair “even my autopilot feels like it’s not functioning.” Seemingly one of the universal experiences during perimenopause.

So I wrote that down and bought it home, and stuck it in the place in my house where all the important things go - the fruit bowl pile (Hamish and Andy did a funny bit on this - so I know it’s a thing!).

Alas, my 17 year old son found it (I mean, it wasn’t hidden), Wilbur Wild we call him. “Mum! What the hell is the buff m**f method???!!!!”

I just looked at my husband and said, isn’t it good we’re raising these boys to understand the normalcy of womanhood? (He rolled his eyes - 20+ years of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and woman’s business notched up for him! 🙄 😂).

10/06/2026

Actual chats with friends (de-identified and shared with her permission).
If you’re worried about judgement in your consult, don’t be worried 😂
We’re all in this together.

Are you well?Are you really, really well?Could things feel or look differently for you? During a perimenopause/menopause...
09/06/2026

Are you well?

Are you really, really well?

Could things feel or look differently for you?

During a perimenopause/menopause initial consultation, we do a comprehensive health assessment together. I ask questions, and then I really listen to your answers.

Many women will say to me “I just feel awful” and “my sleep is terrible”. So imagine, we do something as fundamental as address sleep issues as part of your ongoing care?

Good sleep is fundamental to wellbeing and feeling well.

Book a consult with me at if you’d like somebody to take a really comprehensive look at your overall health.

08/06/2026

Chillaxing continues.

We’ve taken ownership of Chico and Hayley since the passing of my father in law. They don’t know anything about yoga. And I think they’re scared I’m sick and not going to get up when I’m lying there with my eyes closed trying to relax. Poor little stressed out, grieving dawgies!

🧘🏼‍♀️

In the sun with a cuppa and a book on this long weekend, in recovery mode. Beautiful words by in her new book
08/06/2026

In the sun with a cuppa and a book on this long weekend, in recovery mode.

Beautiful words by in her new book

I had planned to be in Bali this week, but the universe had other plans for me.This week we’ve been holding space for my...
03/06/2026

I had planned to be in Bali this week, but the universe had other plans for me.

This week we’ve been holding space for my dear father in law. It’s not been an easy time.

Things that have been helpful:
- Supportive work colleagues and CSU and AWH (I’ve never been someone who’s only had one job!).
- Supportive friends and family checking in.
- Beautiful meals that show up expectedly and take a weight off
- my safe place where I can show up and move my body in a safe and helpful way, no questions asked.
- the new laundromat down the road so I could get a bunch of clothes washed and dried in record time whilst this rainy weather is here.

So, there’ll likely be a little gap in the traffic here for a bit, and in the clinic while I’m with my family during this time. 🩷

Ok. It’s time to talk about p**p 💩 I had quite a few conversations this week about how important it is for good pelvic f...
28/05/2026

Ok. It’s time to talk about p**p 💩

I had quite a few conversations this week about how important it is for good pelvic function, to not be constipated.

If we imagine the pelvis like a bowl, the main contents of that bowl for women are the bladder and urethra, uterus and ovaries and the re**um and a**s, supported by muscles, ligaments and fascia. They’re all jostling around in there for space. If you get constipated, space in the pelvis gets taken up by hard, lumpy 💩 (types 1-3 on the Bristol stool chart). If you are prone to any type of urinary incontinence (stress or urgency), or you have a prolapse, constipation is going to exacerbate those symptoms.

So. What to do? You’re always aiming for a number 4 💩. If this is tricky you can:

🥝Make sure your fibre intake is adequate (25g daily is the RDI for women, it’s actually A LOT!).

💦Make sure your fluid intake is adequate (if drinking water is hard, remember that food can also be a source of fluid, so consider lovely soups, stews, congee, porridges etc to increase both fluid and fibre).

💃 move well and often (walking is fab).

💊 consider probiotics and probiotic rich foods.

💆🏻‍♀️ Chill out. 💩only makes an appearance if you’re in rest and digest mode. If you are constantly in sympathetic drive (think fight or flight), your body is not actively sending signals to your digestive system to “digest”, it’s diverting resources elsewhere.

Seek help if you’re unsure. Nurses really care about 💩! Probably more than any other profession (apart from plumbers I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️), so feel free to book a pelvic health consult with me if you want help with your bits (link to book is in my bio).

When I’m not in the clinic, I make art ( ). I painted this Bristol stool chart for my beautiful peeps so 💩isn’t scary or boring for little people who are struggling. Now perhaps we need one for

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