Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist, wellness influencer and first-time mother, died from complications of a massive postpartum haemorrhage after a freebirth attended by an unlicensed birth attendant, Emily Lal, who was trained by the Free Birth Society (FBS). The inquest into her death, held at the Melbourne Coroner's Court in 2025, heard that Warnecke paid Lal A$6,000 to act as a "birth keeper," a term promoted by the FBS.
Warnecke's death marks what appears to be the first maternal death linked to the FBS, whose founder, Emilee Saldaya, had repeatedly claimed she had never heard of a mother dying in the "sovereign birth world." In a December 2024 podcast appearance, Saldaya stated: "I've never heard of a mother dying in childbirth in the sovereign birth world."
Lal's Training and Ties to Free Birth Society
Emily Lal, a former insurance industry worker with no medical qualifications, was personally trained by Saldaya and her business partner, Yolande Norris-Clark, through the Radical Birth Keeper School (RBK). The Guardian investigation revealed that Lal was one of 850 RBKs trained worldwide via a three-month online programme that experts say contains scientific inaccuracies and dangerous misinformation. The course teaches that neonatal resuscitation can be a form of "sabotage," questions that bacteria cause infection, and dismisses life-threatening pregnancy complications as "variations of normal."
Lal began attending births after completing the course in 2020, quickly building a successful practice. She told the Positive Birth Australia podcast in 2023 that she attended three to four births a month, saying "my book's full." On the Matresence podcast in 2021, she stated: "There is no better training than just learning on the job, really."
Warnecke's Freebirth and Fatal Haemorrhage
On the night of her son's birth, Warnecke experienced a massive postpartum haemorrhage. According to evidence presented at the inquest, Lal asked Warnecke twice if she wanted an ambulance; both times Warnecke refused. Lal did not call an ambulance until the third time she asked, approximately 30 minutes after the bleeding began. Lal told the court: "Autonomy was very important to her. There was no way I was gonna call an ambulance against her wishes."
This approach aligns with FBS teachings. In a 2023 RBK training module, Saldaya said: "The idea that any of you would call 911 before the mother says to is like a ludicrous idea. Oh, that makes me want to throw up."
When paramedics arrived, Warnecke was transported to Frankston Hospital, where medical staff exhausted the entire supply of her blood type, performed a hysterectomy, and drained fluid from her heart. She died after suffering a further cardiac arrest post-surgery. Every medical expert who gave evidence described her condition as treatable and preventable with swift medical care.
Lal's Role and the Term 'Birth Keeper'
The term "radical birth keeper" was invented by Saldaya to help her students circumvent laws banning unlicensed midwifery. Saldaya taught students: "To manoeuvre around these unjust laws, I made up the term radical birth keeper ... to be crystal clear, a radical birth keeper is, in practice, [an] authentic midwife."
Lal initially denied being a doula, stating in her 2021 podcast appearance: "Legally, obviously, we can't refer to ourselves as midwives. I don't consider myself to be a doula because I do have the knowledge behind me that if there are complications that arise I can assist." However, at the inquest, she described a birth keeper as "essentially a doula."
FBS leaders encouraged students not to sign contracts with clients, instead accepting gifts after successful births. Norris-Clark advised: "You're just there at the birth as a friend." Lal used the word "friend" eight times during her evidence.
Previous Tragedy: Baby E's Death
Lal was also connected to the 2022 death of a newborn girl, Baby E, whose mother had rented a birth pool from Lal. Baby E died hours after birth due to pneumonia, meconium aspiration, and chorioamnionitis after a prolonged labour in the pool. The coroner determined the death was preventable but made no findings against Lal personally. Lal had previously refused to give a statement to police about that death, citing no legal obligation, and grew agitated when questioned about it at Warnecke's inquest.
Aftermath and Ongoing Investigation
After Warnecke's death, senior doctor at Frankston Hospital reported Lal to police, noting she used medical terminology inconsistent with being merely a "friend." Police found that Lal had cleaned Warnecke's home thoroughly, even removing blood-stained carpet. The Victorian health complaints commissioner suspended Lal from providing or advertising health services while investigating concerns about her services.
Lal told the inquest she had stopped attending births after Warnecke's death, stating: "It was really traumatic watching someone that you love die. It was horrible. I don't think I would be able to be in a birth space without bringing that in me."
The inquest into Warnecke's death remains open pending forensic analysis of her phone. None of the parties—Lal, Saldaya, or Norris-Clark—responded to requests for comment. In previous statements, Saldaya described Guardian reporting as "propaganda" based on "lies," while Norris-Clark stated her "crime was 'endangering' others with my ideas."
