health
Birthkeeper hired by woman who died after freebirth tells inquest she was ‘not there to make a birth safer’
Emily Lal – paid $6,000 to provide freebirth support package to Stacey Warnecke – tells coroner her role was primarily to be a ‘supportive friend’
TL;DR
- Birthkeeper Emily Lal stated her role was not to make births safer and she was attending as a supportive friend.
- Lal was paid $6,000 for a full freebirth support package for Stacey Warnecke, who later died from complications of a postpartum haemorrhage.
- Lal admitted she was concerned about Warnecke's blood loss but did not consider it her role to inform the mother unless asked.
- Warnecke died in hospital after a home birth where no medical professionals were present.
- Lal has since stopped working as a birthkeeper and is under investigation by the health complaints commissioner.
- Lal cleaned up the home after Warnecke was taken to hospital and disposed of the bloodied carpet.