What to Know
On September 29, 2025, Australian wellness influencer Stacey Hatfield Warnecke died after giving birth at home to her first child. In an Instagram post, her husband Nathan Warnecke shared that she had “successfully” given birth to their son Axel. “Tragically, shortly after, an unforeseen and extremely rare complication arose,” he wrote. Later, it was revealed that she died from a postpartum hemorrhage following a freebirth.
Now, nearly a year after her death, an inquest into her death is being performed. One of the main people being questioned is Emily Lal, who was present when Warnecke gave birth.
The woman had a unique role during the birth.
Lal was an unregistered doula whose business name was the Authentic Birth Keeper, news.com.au reported. According to the inquest, Warnecke paid Lal $6,000 Australian dollars (which converts to $4,200 U.S. dollars) to be present during her birth. But Lal has no medical training, and couldn’t assist if something went wrong.
Freebirth is a controversial choice — during a freebirth, women give birth with no medical intervention or medical professionals present. Not even a midwife.
Shortly after giving birth, Warnecke began bleeding profusely, turned white, and had trouble breathing, the court heard. She refused having an ambulance called twice, but relented when she was asked a third time by Lal. At the hospital, doctors gave her a hysterectomy in an attempt to save her life, but she died within hours.
The court also heard that Lal got a new phone shortly after Warnecke’s death, and “lost” all the texts between herself and Warnecke’s family. She also returned to the Warnecke home after Stacey was rushed to the hospital and “threw away” a blood soaked carpet and other bloody items.
Counsel also shared that Lal refused to give a police statement after Warnecke’s death.
Emily Lal admitted in court that she has no proper medical training.
@9newsmelbourne The 30-year-old nutritionist died a few hours after a free birth at her Seaford home. #9News ♬ original sound – 9News Melbourne
When questioned by counsel assisting Rachel Ellyard, Lal admitted that while she was paid by Warnecke, her role was primarily as a friend. She said that the money was for her time, and not any medical advice. And she wasn’t there to override the wishes of the mother and her family.
Ellyard pointed out that on Lal’s website, she offered services that included education, antenatal support, birth attendance and postpartum support. She then asked Lal if she believed her role was also to keep mothers safe.
“How would I help people stay safe during birth?” Lal responded. “I don’t think me being there makes the birth more safe.”
So she was asked what the role of a birthkeeper was. “I’m attending as a friend in a support role,” she replied.
Lal told Ellyard that even though she thought Warnecke had lost more than a normal amount of blood, it wasn’t her role to share that information if she wasn’t asked. “I wouldn’t say to her, ‘I think you’ve lost too much blood.’ That’s not my role,” she claimed.
But Ellyard pressed, saying, “But you’re being paid to be there.”
“I’m attending as a supportive friend. I’m not there to make a birth safer. I can’t do that,” Lal insisted. “I’m not clinically trained. It’s not my role to assess blood loss.”
She told the court “If it was me, I would have been concerned” in terms of Warnecke’s blood loss.
Despite the admission, she told the court that she would not make the decision for a mother about calling an ambulance. Respecting autonomy was central to the support she provided. In hindsight, she did admit that she might have pushed Warnecke to agree to call an ambulance, but she would not have made the final decision.
When asked if she believed Stacey Warnecke would have benefitted from faster access to medical professionals, Lal said “I can’t say what would have happened.” However, she agreed that postpartum hemorrhage is more dangerous at home than in a hospital.
Emily Lal told the court that she had gotten legal advice after Warnecke’s death because of an experience she had after a previous freebirth resulted in death. She felt she was unfairly blamed by the media.
She stopped offering her services, but The Guardian also reported that the health complaints commissioner suspended her from offering or advertising health services while concerns about her services were investigated.
That investigation is ongoing.
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