Hospital Used Up Blood Trying to Rescue Wellness Social Media Figure's Life Following Free Home Birth, Coroner Is Told.

A medical facility depleted its entire stock of a social media health advocate's matching blood type in a unsuccessful bid to keep her alive as she suffered catastrophic bleeding following a unassisted home delivery, a court has been told.

Stacey Warnecke, 30, was accompanied by her spouse, her husband, and an unlicensed birth attendant named the doula when she delivered her baby boy at her home in Melbourne home on the 29th of September.

Her newborn son was in good health, but the mother's condition rapidly declined and an emergency services was summoned around 4:30 in the morning, the Victorian coroner’s court was informed on this week.

Ambulance officers discovered the woman looking yellow and having difficulty breathing as she sat on the ground near the inflatable pool, counsel assisting Rachel Ellyard said.

She was rushed to the local hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

The preliminary finding suggests she succumbed to severe complications following a post-birth hemorrhage, the counsel said.

All available reserves of her blood type was completely exhausted during medical teams' attempts to save her, the court was told.

This incident was notified to authorities, and Nathan Warnecke provided a statement to investigating officers, but Lal declined to cooperate.

When officers went to examine Warnecke’s home the next day, they also found the property had been deep cleaned by the doula.

Decisions Around Prenatal Care

The woman chose not to receive any form of prenatal care during her term, including refusing scan appointments and consultations with a midwife or obstetrician.

The expectant mother wanted to give birth at home and engaged Lal, who advertised herself as a advocate for unassisted birth on social media.

A so-called "wild" birth, sometimes called a birth without medical attendants, differs from a home delivery with professional support, which includes the assistance of qualified health professionals.

Warnecke’s interactions with Lal will be a key part of the official inquest into her death, the counsel noted.

The 30-year-old’s beliefs on the medical establishment, the choices around her delivery plan and broader attitudes following the Covid-19 pandemic will also come under scrutiny in a future inquest.

Context and Ongoing Inquiry

The inquest was informed that Warnecke was a qualified nutritionist who advocated for a wholesome and “chemical-free” way of life on her online channels.

Evidence suggests she was profoundly affected by pandemic-related restrictions and those apprehensions shaped her decision-making during her prenatal period and delivery, counsel added.

In October, the state health regulator issued a warning that it was looking into the doula's activities over concerns she was involved in home deliveries that could put mothers and babies at risk.

The investigation would be requesting testimony from the doula, as well as from the paramedics, doctors and nurses who treated Warnecke, the court was told.

The case will be back before the coroner in March for a procedural update.