To find this desperately sad? TW: freebirth death

[ExtraHotDoubleShot]

I just feel so sad for her husband and little boy. I also understand why she didn’t want to go into hospital. Feels like women are stuck between a rock and a hard place with childbirth at the moment.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/20/stacey-warnecke-melbourne-influencer-died-freebirth-inquest-ntwnfb

Women who choose to do this should be subjected to court orders. This is fucking disgraceful.

Well she can’t be as she is no longer alive. Surely she must’ve had an intense fear of hospitals to do this.

I feel like women are lucky if they have access to a hospital and life saving medical care, and it's their choice if they choose not to avail themselves of it. I wouldn't say thats between a rock and a hard place.
I've no doubt some women do genuinely find themselves between a rock and a hard place when they give birth, but its not women in the UK or Australia.

Perhaps I’m unlucky though, I had 1 ok hospital birth and my second was frankly terrifying. I’m not having a 3rd but if I did I know I couldn’t set foot back in that hospital. I just feel so sorry for her poor little baby.

When it comes to doulas, as much as the doula might genuinely explain their role as a non medical birth attendant, the woman freebirthing is ultimately choosing to have them there because they have the birthing experience that they do. So automatically, the mother is looking for the doula to predict when things aren't going to plan and advise them accordingly.

This becomes more obviously the case when you are being paid to provide that experience.

If maternity services were better and a proper supported home birth was an option then maybe people wouldn’t be driven to this. Just look at the hospitals that have been under investigation for maternity services in recent years. A really thoughtless comment.

The Guardian did a podcast a while ago about this but US based called 'The Birth Keepers'. It was a difficult listen.

It’s an awfully sad story, but she took silly risks and paid the price for it. She chose not to seek help sooner too. Awful as the story is, hopefully it will
make the people who was watching her (as she was an influencer) realise that free birth isn’t the joyful thing people make it out to be, it’s dangerous.

I had two home births but with two experienced midwives monitoring me. I don't understand why you would have someone with no medical knowledge there. If my labour had failed to progress I'd have been transferred to hospital rather than left at home. Baby's heart rate was monitored and I had an injection of vitamin k to help deliver the placenta. I just don't understand why you would risk your life and baby's life like this.

How much do you even no about hospitals in Australia really?

I think the paid 'birthkeeper' role should be banned tbh. Private midwife - fine. But this person clearly didn't recognise when medical care was needed and I think the woman who died would have assumed she could.

Some women don’t want to give birth in hospital. I’m extremely glad I didn’t but I had the funds to pay for qualified independent midwives. Hospitals are not particularly safe places to give birth in in the current climate.

Home births with medical professionals are an option though. As is seeking help as soon as something starts to go wrong

Why would she assume that? She chose free birth without medical intervention, not a home birth

My terrible experience of maternity care (both times) was the main factor in me deciding not to have another child.

Really annoys me when people say we’re “lucky” to have this - just because it’s free at the point of access doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to acknowledge that it has major faults.

I would have thought medical care in Australia was good? Is it not?

My home births were fantastic and safe! Ds is at sixth form and DD at Oxford now. I was never put in any danger but I absolutely listened to medical advice and if my midwives had said I needed to go to hospital I would have done so.

And it having major faults doesn’t mean we aren’t lucky to have it. Some countries are far worse off.

But home birth just isn’t an option for more than half of women, they won’t do it. It’s hospital or nothing. I won’t go too far into my own story but I ended up with a written apology from the hospital and I think they’re just relieved I’m not suing them.

Do you think she actually decided to stay at home and die? Or do you think she trusted the birthkeeper's assertion that she wasn't bleeding?

If you can pay thousands for a non medical birth person you can pay for a private midwife. Are you even in Australia?

It’s not a race to the bottom.

She choose a birth option believing her body knew what to do and would sort itself out, and to hire someone that didn’t believe in medical care. She trusted something that wasn’t true, that her body would just get things right.

Then stop racing there 🤷‍♀️

Beliefs that were presumably reinforced by the birthkeeper, who had already had a client die according to the article, and who charged her $5000.

They can't force you into hospital but they don't have an obligation to provide home midwives. I was lucky to have that option. I would have gone to hospital otherwise.

Your body does know what to do, but you only need to look at history of childbirth to know that it does go wrong.