Birthkeeper Admits: 'Not There to Make Birth Safer'

A birthkeeper testified that her role in supporting a woman who later died after a home freebirth was not to ensure safety. Emily Lal, who was paid $6,000, told a coroner that she attended the birth as a "supportive friend." The inquest heard that 30-year-old Stacey Warnecke died from complications following a massive postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth at home on September 29.

Lal stated Warnecke had already decided on a freebirth before engaging her services. When Warnecke experienced significant bleeding after delivering the placenta and struggled to breathe, Lal asked three times if an ambulance should be called. Warnecke eventually agreed, but paramedics arrived when she was already severely unwell.

Lal admitted she thought the blood loss was abnormal but felt it was not her place to assess it or to override the mother's decisions. She confirmed her website offered various support services but reiterated, "I don't think me being there makes the birth more safe." Medical professionals have criticized organizations like the Free Birth Society, from which Lal took a course, for allegedly sharing dangerous information.

Following Warnecke's death, Lal ceased working as a birthkeeper and had her services suspended pending an investigation by the health complaints commissioner. She also removed bloodied carpeting from the home after Warnecke's death, stating her intention was to spare the husband the scene.