Medical Center Used Up Blood In an Attempt to Rescue Health Social Media Figure's Life After Unassisted Birth, Coroner Hears.

A hospital depleted its entire stock of a wellness influencer's matching blood type in a vain effort to rescue her as she bled uncontrollably following a unassisted home delivery, a coroner's inquest has heard.

Stacey Warnecke, aged 30, was accompanied by her spouse, her husband, and an unlicensed doula named Emily Lal when she delivered her baby boy at her home in Melbourne residence on the 29th of September.

The baby boy was in good health, but Warnecke's state rapidly declined and an ambulance was summoned around 4:30 in the morning, the inquest was informed on this week.

Paramedics discovered the woman looking pale and struggling to breathe as she sat on the floor near the water birth tub, the coroner's counsel Rachel Ellyard said.

The patient was taken to the local hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

The preliminary finding suggests she died from severe complications following a massive bleeding after childbirth, Ellyard explained.

The hospital’s supply of her blood group was completely exhausted during medical teams' attempts to stabilize her, the court was told.

The fatality was reported to police, and her husband gave an account to detectives, but the doula refused.

As police went to examine Warnecke’s home the following day, they also found the property had been thoroughly cleaned up by Lal.

Choices Regarding Pregnancy Healthcare

The woman elected not to receive any prenatal care during her pregnancy, including declining ultrasounds and consultations with a midwife or doctor.

The expectant mother planned to deliver at home and engaged the doula, who advertised herself as a advocate for unassisted birth on social media.

A free birth, sometimes called a wild or unassisted birth, is distinct from a home delivery with professional support, which involves care from qualified medical practitioners.

The relationship and communications with Lal will form part of the official inquest into her death, the counsel said.

Her beliefs on the medical establishment, the decisions around her birth plan and broader attitudes following the global pandemic will also come under scrutiny in a forthcoming hearing.

Context and Ongoing Inquiry

The inquest was informed that Warnecke was a certified nutritionist who promoted a healthy and “natural” way of life on social media.

Evidence suggests she was profoundly affected by pandemic-related restrictions and those concerns influenced her decision-making during pregnancy and birth, counsel said.

In October, the state health regulator issued a warning that it was looking into the doula's activities over concerns she was involved in home deliveries that could put mothers and babies at risk.

The coroner would be requesting testimony from Lal, as well as from the emergency responders and hospital staff who treated Warnecke, Ellyard was told.

This matter will return to the coroner’s court in March for a procedural update.