Death of Stacey Warnecke linked to unregulated freebirth and Free Birth Society
Consensus Summary
The death of Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old Melbourne wellness influencer, after a freebirth attended by unlicensed birth attendant Emily Lal has sparked scrutiny of the Free Birth Society (FBS), a US-based organisation that trains unregulated birth supporters. Warnecke died in September 2025 from a massive postpartum haemorrhage, with Lal present but failing to call an ambulance despite Warnecke’s worsening condition. Lal, who charged A$6,000 for her services, was trained by FBS founder Emilee Saldaya and described herself as a ‘birth keeper’—a term invented to avoid legal restrictions on unlicensed midwifery. Both the Guardian and ABC report that Lal acted as a ‘supportive friend’ while providing medical-sounding advice, despite having no formal medical training. The coronial inquest into Warnecke’s death is ongoing, with Lal testifying under conditions protecting her from prosecution. Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner has banned Lal from providing health services until September 2026, citing risks to public safety. The Guardian’s investigation also links FBS to 48 global cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or serious harm, while Lal’s evidence reveals FBS’s dangerous ideology, including downplaying medical emergencies and prioritising maternal autonomy over life-saving interventions. Lal’s actions—including cleaning Warnecke’s home post-death and refusing to call an ambulance against Warnecke’s wishes—highlight the risks of unregulated freebirths and the influence of FBS’s anti-scientific teachings.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old Melbourne nutritionist and wellness influencer, died from complications of a massive postpartum haemorrhage after a freebirth on September 2025.
- Emily Lal, an unlicensed birth attendant with no medical qualifications, attended Warnecke’s freebirth and was paid A$6,000 for her services.
- Lal was trained by the Free Birth Society (FBS), a multimillion-dollar organisation founded by Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, through their Radical Birth Keeper School.
- The coronial inquest into Warnecke’s death is ongoing, with Lal providing evidence under conditions that her testimony cannot be used against her in criminal or civil proceedings.
- Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner issued Lal an interim prohibition order (July 1–September 22, 2026) banning her from advertising or providing health services.
- Lal described herself as a ‘birth keeper’ (not a doula or midwife) and claimed to act as a ‘supportive friend’ during births, despite charging fees and providing medical-sounding advice.
- The Free Birth Society has been linked to 48 cases of late-term stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants worldwide, according to a 2025 Guardian investigation.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Emilee Saldaya claimed in a December 2024 podcast that she had ‘never heard of a mother dying in childbirth in the sovereign birth world’ and that ‘we aren’t losing mothers’ in FBS.
- Saldaya and Norris-Clark have promoted dangerous misinformation, including questioning the existence of gravity and whether the Earth is round, and teaching that neonatal resuscitation can be ‘sabotage’.
- Lal was named in inquests into two deaths: Warnecke’s and a newborn baby in 2022.
- FBS’s Radical Birth Keeper School claims to have trained 850 ‘radical birth keepers’ worldwide, many with no medical experience, through a three-month Zoom course.
- Lal cleaned Warnecke’s home thoroughly after her death, removing blood-stained evidence that could have helped determine the extent of her haemorrhage.
- A senior doctor at Frankston Hospital reported concerns about Lal to police after witnessing her use medical terminology during Warnecke’s emergency care.
- Warnecke’s birth plan included the phrase ‘variations of normal,’ a term FBS uses to downplay serious pregnancy complications.
- Lal’s interim prohibition order was first issued in October 2025, with a public warning from the Health Complaints Commissioner alleging she breached the health code of conduct by facilitating risky home births.
- Lal testified that she only offered advice based on her personal experiences of birthing four children at home and self-education, not formal training.
- Lal admitted to cleaning Warnecke’s home post-death but claimed she did not consider the blood-stained items as evidence.
- Lal described her role as providing domestic help and 15–20 hours of prenatal support for the $6,000 fee.
- Lal said she attended three to four births per month before Warnecke’s death, describing her philosophy as ‘birth is as safe as life gets.’
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Lal was ‘personally trained by Saldaya and her business partner, Yolande Norris-Clark,’ while ABC does not explicitly mention Norris-Clark’s direct involvement in Lal’s training.
- The Guardian reports Lal was ‘named in inquests into two deaths,’ but ABC only mentions Lal’s involvement in Warnecke’s death and does not reference the 2022 newborn death.
- The Guardian claims Lal ‘appeared to suggest she had life-saving skills’ in a 2021 podcast, while ABC states Lal explicitly said she was ‘not clinically trained’ and ‘not her role to assess blood loss.’
Source Articles
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In September 2025, Melbourne wellness influencer Stacey Warnecke decided to give birth at home, free of all medical help. No one else was present when she went into labour except her husband and a woman named Emily Lal. Warnecke later died in hospital. Lal, who describes herself as a ‘birth keeper’, had no formal medical training and had taken an online course offered by the Free Birth Society – a multimillion-dollar business that trains unregulated birth support workers. Warnecke is one of a gr