A Tragic Case of a Free Birth and the Consequences
A hospital director has revealed that he referred an unregistered doula to police over concerns she was a risk to public health following a wellness influencer’s fatal free birth. The incident has sparked a broader discussion about the safety and regulation of free births, which are becoming increasingly common in Victoria.
Stacey Warnecke, 30, had been undergoing a free birth at her Melbourne home with an unregistered doula named Emily Lal and her husband Nathan on September 29. Unlike a home birth where a registered midwife is present, a free birth is intentionally conducted without any medical professionals. 
The baby boy, Axel, was healthy, but Ms Warnecke’s condition rapidly declined. She was rushed to Frankston Hospital after appearing hot, pale, gasping for air, and going in and out of consciousness. Doctors worked desperately to save her, but she died of blood loss from a postpartum haemorrhage, as revealed by the Victorian Coroners Court.
After the death, senior hospital staff convened a “red light” meeting, during which Bayside Health Peninsula executive Shyaman Menon told the court about the concerns raised regarding Emily Lal’s actions during the birth. Despite Lal identifying herself as a friend and not having any medical training, the language used during the birth was more than what a general public member would understand. 
Menon stated that the concern was around what advice was or was not provided during the birth, and he felt obligated to refer Lal to police following concerns she was a “public health risk.” Lal gave evidence at the inquest on Tuesday after being granted immunity from prosecution and defended her decision not to provide police with a statement.
Despite limited data available, the number of free births in Victoria appears to be increasing. Alexis Shub, director of Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval, told the inquest that reports to PIPER over adverse outcomes from home births and free births had increased from seven in 2023, to nine in 2024, 20 in 2025, with already 11 cases up to May 31 this year.
“There is … a feeling that rates of harm are increasing,” Shub said. He suggested that the rise of free births could be due to a perception that obstetricians and midwives are “doing things to women without their consent.”
Frankston Hospital director of obstetrics and gynaecology, Nisha Khot, told the inquest that postpartum haemorrhage is the most common complication of childbirth. She explained that clinicians are trained to look for signs, including increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, the woman feeling uneasy, uncomfortable, cold and clammy, or losing lucidity.
In a triple-zero call, Lal told the operator she believed Ms Warnecke may have been experiencing a panic attack and said she couldn’t see any signs of further bleeding after the birth. Dr Khot said the longer labour goes on—Ms Warnecke’s case spanned days—the more likely a woman is to have a significant bleed after the birth.
“We may not always see the blood externally, we also know the blood we see we tend to underestimate how much it is,” she said.
The inquest continues, shedding light on the growing concerns surrounding free births and the need for better regulation and awareness. 
