Birthkeeper Could Be Referred to Prosecutors, Victorian Coroner Hears

A Victorian coroner has heard that Emily Lal, a birthkeeper, could be referred to prosecutors to face potential criminal charges. The hearing is part of an inquest into the death of Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist and wellness influencer.

A birthkeeper is a non-medical person who supports a woman through pregnancy and childbirth. According to the coroner's court, Warnecke paid Lal $6,000 to support her throughout her pregnancy. Warnecke, a Seaford woman, gave birth at home in September 2025 without a qualified medical professional present. She suffered a postpartum haemorrhage, or severe bleeding after birth, and died at Frankston Hospital in Melbourne. Lal was by her side during the birth.

The inquest began in June before the coroner, Therese McCarthy. Counsel assisting the coroner, the lawyer presenting the case to the court, Rachel Ellyard, said forensic analysis of Warnecke's phone revealed a WhatsApp group chat coordinated by Lal for women choosing "freebirth", a term for giving birth without a medical professional. Ellyard's account went further. She told the coroner that Lal saw her role as grooming clients to resist seeking medical help, pain relief, or hospital care during labour.

A phone call between Warnecke and Lal was played to the court. In it, Lal told Warnecke "You should be scared of the hospital" after Warnecke said she was afraid of the hospital.

Lal has given her own account. In evidence in June, she said Warnecke hired her primarily as a supportive friend, and that the payment was mainly for her time rather than for medical advice. She told the court she was not clinically trained, and that it was not her responsibility to make the birth safer or to call an ambulance unless she was specifically asked to.

Earlier, in June, the ABC reported that Lal had been banned from providing advice or health services for a further three months while the inquest continued.