A mother bled heavily before a tragic home birth death, but her paid birthkeeper claimed in court she was ‘not there to make a birth safer’

A birthkeeper who was hired for a home birth has testified that she was not there to make the birth safer. According to The Guardian, Emily Lal gave this evidence on Tuesday during an inquest into the death of 30-year-old Stacey Warnecke. Warnecke died on 29 September in Frankston hospital following a home birth where she suffered a massive postpartum haemorrhage.

The inquest revealed that Warnecke had opted for a freebirth, which means she did not involve trained medical professionals during most of her pregnancy. She hired Lal as her birthkeeper, paying $6,000 for a support package. Lal told the court she has no medical training and operates entirely outside the medical system.

When asked by counsel assisting the coroner, Rachel Ellyard, if she saw her role as helping to keep mothers safe, Lal replied, “How would I help people stay safe during birth? I don’t think me being there makes the birth more safe.” Lal maintained that her role was primarily that of a friend and that the money paid was for her time. She explained that she was not there to override the wishes of the mother or her family.

Birthkeeper claims $6,000 fee was for friendship, not medical safety

During the proceedings, Ellyard questioned Lal about her responsibility to share information regarding health risks. Lal admitted that while she thought Warnecke had lost more blood than normal, it was not her role to assess blood loss or inform the mother unless asked. Lal stated, “I wouldn’t say to her, ‘I think you’ve lost too much blood.’ That’s not my role.” She further added, “I’m not clinically trained. It’s not my role to assess blood loss.”

The court heard that after giving birth to the placenta, Warnecke lost up to 1.5 litres of blood and began struggling to breathe. Lal said she asked Warnecke three times within a five-minute period if she wanted an ambulance called. Although Warnecke eventually agreed, she was already seriously unwell by the time paramedics arrived. This dangerous delay echoes other recent fatal cases where a nurse allegedly dismissed a family’s urgent concerns about worsening symptoms just before the patient died.

Lal acknowledged that she had told Warnecke her blood loss was more than she would consider normal and noted, “If it was me, I would have been concerned.” However, she insisted that respecting the autonomy of the mother was central to her support. Lal had undertaken an online course through the Free Birth Society, a business that promotes births without medical assistance.

Medical professionals have criticized the organization, arguing that its guidance on issues like excessive bleeding and placenta care can be dangerous. When asked if she believed Warnecke would have benefited from faster access to medical professionals, Lal said she could not say what would have happened. She did, however, agree that a postpartum haemorrhage is more dangerous at home than in a hospital.

Following the death of Warnecke, Lal stopped working as a birthkeeper. She stated she made this decision because she believed she would bring trauma from the experience to any future births. The health complaints commissioner has since suspended Lal from providing or advertising health services while an investigation into her services continues.

After Warnecke was taken to the hospital for surgery, Lal returned to the home to clean the scene. She took a bloodied carpet to her own bin for disposal, stating she wanted to ensure Warnecke’s husband would not be confronted by the scene when he returned. Lal also refused to provide a statement to the police, noting she was not legally required to do so.

She told the court she sought legal advice because she felt she was blamed by the media following a death at a previous freebirth she attended.