An Australian influencer who chose to give birth at home without medical professionals died after suffering severe blood loss, an inquest has heard.
Stacey Warnecke, 30, died following a home birth that went wrong in September 2025. Her death is currently being examined by a coroner, with a medical examiner proposing that her cause of death was postpartum hemorrhage.
Warnecke, known on social media for promoting a “chemical free” lifestyle, gave birth to her son, Axel, at home with her husband, Nathan, and doula Emily Lal present. She had opted for a “freebirth,” meaning she wanted to give birth outside of a medical setting without trained healthcare professionals involved.
The inquest heard that complications developed after the placenta was delivered. Warnecke began bleeding heavily and experienced difficulty breathing, but reportedly declined an ambulance twice before agreeing to call for help.
Home birth risks
When paramedics arrived, Warnecke was rushed to Frankston Hospital. She suffered a significant loss of blood as she was transferred from the ambulance to a hospital bed.
Doctors carried out an emergency hysterectomy. The inquest heard that the hospital exhausted its supply of Warnecke’s blood type while attempting to save her life. Despite their efforts, she suffered multiple cardiac arrests and later died.
Hospital staff were said to have made “heroic efforts” to save her.
In a statement submitted to the inquest, Nathan Warnecke said his wife held “a strong view about the cascade of interventions that can occur within a hospital environment, and a strong wish to avoid them,” according to LADbible.
The hearing was told that Warnecke believed a freebirth was the only way she could give birth entirely on her own terms. She had also declined antenatal screening, including standard ultrasound examinations.
“It is rare for a woman to die in childbirth”
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine pathologist Michael Burke testified that Warnecke’s death was caused by blood loss.
“It is rare for a woman to die in childbirth,” he told the inquest.
He added that blood loss during childbirth is “immediately treatable if it is recognised quickly and managed correctly”.
Doula Emily Lal told the inquest she received $6,000 to attend the birth, but made clear that her role was not to provide medical care.
“How would I help people stay safe during birth?” Lal replied when asked whether she considered keeping mothers safe part of her responsibilities, according to the Guardian.
“I don’t think me being there makes the birth more safe. I’m attending as a friend in a support role.
“I wouldn’t say to her, ‘I think you’ve lost too much blood.’ That’s not my role.”
Lal also told the hearing that Warnecke had asked whether the amount of blood loss was normal. She said she responded that it was “more than I would consider to be normal”.
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