Wellness Influencer Stacey Warnecke, 30, Died After Severe Blood Loss Following At-Home 'Freebirth,' Court Hears

A cause of death for Australian wellness influencer Stacey Warnecke has been disclosed at the Victorian Coroners Court, local media reported.

Case Details

On Dec. 10 the court heard that Warnecke, 30 — also known as Stacey Hatfield — died on Sept. 29 from suspected complications after a postpartum haemorrhage, attorney Rachel Ellyard said, according to 9News. Multiple outlets including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported she suffered massive blood loss.

Warnecke had chosen a planned unassisted home birth, commonly called a “freebirth.” Her newborn son, Axel, survived the delivery.

Who Was Present

Birth support worker Emily Lal, known online as The Authentic Birthkeeper, was present at the couple’s Seaford home during the birth, the ABC reported. Lal has not publicly commented. During the hearing it was alleged she cleaned the home before police attended the next day.

Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner confirmed in October it opened an inquiry into Lal after receiving information suggesting she may have facilitated home births that could place mothers or babies at risk. Local reporting says Lal has been temporarily barred from providing healthcare.

Medical Response and Hospital Care

Court reporting and the Herald Sun say Warnecke gave birth about 3 a.m. on Sept. 29 and initially appeared well. She began feeling unwell and started bleeding after the placenta was delivered. She initially declined an ambulance but asked for help around 4:13 a.m.; paramedics arrived about 4:26 a.m. and found her lying on the floor next to the birthing pool.

Warnecke was taken to Frankston Hospital, arriving at about 5:07 a.m. in critical condition. According to reports she underwent emergency procedures including an emergency hysterectomy, experienced multiple cardiac arrests and died in the intensive care unit at about 11 a.m. Outlets reported that hospital blood supplies of her blood type had been exhausted due to the severity of her bleeding.

Legal and Family Matters

Coroner Therese McCarthy said her role is to determine how Warnecke died and to establish findings based on the facts; she is considering whether to hold a formal inquest. The case is due to return to court in March.

Warnecke’s husband Nathan announced her death in an Oct. 19 post on the couple’s Natural Spoonfuls Instagram account, saying an “unforeseen and extremely rare complication arose” after the home birth. He later described Stacey’s final moments cradling and nursing their newborn son, Axel.

Background

Warnecke founded Natural Spoonfuls in 2019 and built an online following promoting a toxin-free lifestyle, natural ingredients and original recipes. Friends and supporters launched a GoFundMe to help Nathan and Axel in the immediate aftermath.

The Victorian Coroners Court and the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. The coroner’s review and the HCC inquiry are ongoing.