Wellness influencer died of ’eminently treatable’ home birth complication

Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old Australian wellness influencer, died from a postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth at home on September 29. An inquest revealed Warnecke bled for over an hour before an ambulance was called, while an unregulated birthkeeper, paid $6,000 AUS, attended the delivery.

Warnecke gave birth to her son, Axel, at 3 a.m. Her husband, Nathan, told the court she had lost up to 1.5 liters of blood approximately 25 minutes after the delivery.

According to the Guardian, the birthkeeper, Emily Lal, asked Warnecke twice if she wanted to call an ambulance. Warnecke refused both requests. Lal asked a third time one hour after the birth, at which point Warnecke agreed.

Rachel Ellyard, counsel assisting the coroner, stated that paramedics found Warnecke naked on the floor between a couch and a birth pool. Ellyard described the room as dark and noted Warnecke’s skin was “yellow and clammy” with a large blood clot on the ground.

Paramedics could not detect her blood pressure and identified a postpartum hemorrhage. This condition, involving excessive bleeding after birth, occurs in 1% to 5% of births.

Warnecke arrived at the hospital and expelled a “big gush of blood” two hours after giving birth, according to Ellyard. She entered cardiac arrest minutes later. Medical staff fought multiple cardiac arrests and continued bleeding before she died at 11 a.m.

How did the lack of clinical training impact the outcome?

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Burke, who performed the autopsy, told the court that blood loss is “eminently treatable” if recognized and managed quickly.

Emily Lal testified that she is not clinically trained and stated, “I’m not there to make a birth safer. I can’t do that.” Lal added that assessing blood loss is not her role.

In Australia and the U.S., midwives are the only birth workers required to meet healthcare standards to use the title. Doulas and birthkeepers operate outside this system and lack standardized certifications.

A “freebirth” is any delivery without a doctor or midwife present. While legal in Australia, these births lack the presence of the two midwives typically required for a home birth to be considered as safe as a hospital birth.

Are home births safe in the U.S.?

Approximately 50,000 women in the U.S. choose home births annually, accounting for less than 2% of all births. Most are attended by state-licensed midwives.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Nurse Midwives agree that accredited birth centers and hospitals are the safest options. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that babies die about twice as often in home births compared to hospital births.

Dr. Neda Ghaffari, a perinatologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told NPR that obstetric emergencies are very hard to predict. These include hemorrhages, fever, high blood pressure, or fetal distress and positioning.

What may happen next?

The details from this inquest could lead to increased public scrutiny regarding the use of unregulated birthkeepers. There may be a shift in how “low-tox” wellness communities view the necessity of clinical oversight during childbirth.

Legal discussions in Australia may evolve regarding the status of freebirths, though they currently remain legal. In the U.S., health providers may increase efforts to educate the small percentage of women opting for home births about the unpredictability of obstetric emergencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a freebirth?

A freebirth is any birth that occurs without the presence of a midwife or doctor. These are legal in Australia.

How common is a postpartum hemorrhage?

According to the provided text, postpartum hemorrhage, or excessive bleeding after birth, happens in 1% to 5% of births.

What is the difference between a midwife and a birthkeeper?

Midwives must meet healthcare standards and follow state-regulated licensing to use the title. Birthkeepers and doulas operate outside the medical system and do not have standardized training or certifications.

Do you believe unregulated birth workers should be subject to mandatory medical training?