A Melbourne wellness influencer died from a treatable complication after giving birth at home without any trained medical staff, an inquest has heard. Stacey Warnecke, 30, was found lying on the floor in an altered state of consciousness beside a large blood clot hours before her death in hospital.
Warnecke gave birth to her son Axel in September, with her husband Nathan Warnecke and a birthkeeper named Emily Lal present. A birthkeeper is an unregulated support worker without formal medical training. About 25 minutes after birth, she delivered the placenta and lost up to 1.5 litres of blood, according to her husband.
Warnecke experienced shortness of breath but twice declined an ambulance. Lal suggested she might be having a panic attack. About an hour after birth, Warnecke agreed to call an ambulance. When paramedics arrived, they found her naked, with yellow and clammy skin, rapid breathing, and a large blood clot on the floor. Her blood pressure was undetectable.
At Frankston Hospital, staff struggled to stabilise her amid multiple cardiac arrests and ongoing bleeding. She required a hysterectomy and fluid drainage from her heart. Despite using the entire hospital blood supply and reinforcements, Warnecke suffered a further cardiac arrest after surgery and died shortly after 11am.
The coroner heard that Lal left the hospital to clean the house, potentially disturbing the scene. Lal is due to give evidence under protection from self-incrimination. A forensic pathologist stated that death from postpartum haemorrhage is rare in medical facilities and is eminently treatable if recognised quickly.
