Hospital exhausted blood supply in attempt to save wellness influencer after freebirth

A major Melbourne hospital exhausted its entire supply of a key blood type in a desperate bid to save wellness influencer Stacey Warnecke after she suffered catastrophic bleeding following a freebirth.

Warnecke, 30, is believed to have died from complications of a postpartum haemorrhage after giving birth to her son, Axel, in a water bath at her Seaford home on September 29, the Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday.

The freebirth was attended by Emily Lal, a doula since banned from providing health services by the Health Complaints Commission.

The court heard that when police visited the home to photograph the scene, they were told Lal had extensively cleaned the site of the tragic birth.

Counsel assisting the coroner Rachel Ellyard said the young mother appeared well after giving birth at 3am but rapidly deteriorated after she passed the placenta and began losing a large volume of blood.

“She lay down, she asked for pillows and was having trouble breathing,” she said.

The young mother was asked if she wanted an ambulance, but she refused.

“She complained of more blood loss,” Ellyard said.

The next time she was asked if she wanted an ambulance, Warnecke agreed.

The first paramedic, who arrived at the house at 4.26am, found Warnecke lying on the floor next to the birthing pool in a small, dark room.

“Stacey was agitated. She appeared yellow and short of breath,” Ellyard told the hearing.

Warnecke was rushed to Frankston Hospital by ambulance in a critical condition at 5am. She was accompanied by her husband Nathan, Lal and their newborn son.

A total of 24 clinicians mounted an extensive effort to save Warnecke over the next six hours, inserting a balloon to stem the bleeding, and performing an emergency hysterectomy and a procedure to remove a large amount of fluid that had gathered in a sac around her heart.

She was intubated, given CPR and blood transfusions. She suffered several cardiac arrests and died in the intensive care unit about 11am.

“As a measure of how severe her presentation was, and how hard clinicians worked to save her, the hospital’s supply of her blood type was completely exhausted,” Ellyard said.

“It must have been a profoundly complicated and distressing experience for all those trying to care for her.”

The court heard that after Warnecke died, Lal, known online as “The Authentic Birthkeeper”, refused to provide a statement to police.

Ellyard said the evidence suggested that Warnecke had died from complications related to a postpartum haemorrhage.

There has been an anecdotal rise in freebirths since the pandemic fuelled scepticism in some parts of the country about conventional medicine.

Freebirthing, also known as unassisted or wild birth, is the practice of giving birth outside the medical system, often at home.

The court heard Warnecke was profoundly affected by the COVID vaccine mandates of 2021.

“Her concerns about these mandates, combined with her existing views about living a healthy, natural life, influenced her decisions about care for herself during pregnancy,” Ellyard said.

Throughout her pregnancy, the nutritionist received no medical care. She had no ultrasounds and did not consult a midwife or obstetrician.

The coronial inquiry will investigate the cause of Warnecke’s death, the extent to which doulas can advertise themselves, and the impact of freebirths on the health system. It will also examine the maternity care available for women who don’t want to give birth in hospital and the contact between Warnecke and Lal in the lead up to Axel’s birth.

“Stacey’s pregnancy was a great happiness for her and her husband,” Ellyard told the court. “She really wanted to be a mother.”

Coroner Therese McCarthy described Warnecke’s death as a tragedy that was recent and raw.

“In addition to grieving, the family has a little person with them who has a challenge ahead of him as he navigates his life in these tragic circumstances,” she said.

In October, Victoria’s Health Complaints Commission issued a public warning about Lal and said she was under investigation after allegations were made that she “is facilitating and/or participating in home births which may put both mothers and babies at risk”.

Warnecke’s case will return to court in March.

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