Influencer's Death in Home Birth Triggers Inquest on Freebirth Regulation

Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist and wellness influencer, died hours after freebirthing at her Seaford home in September 2025. A coronial inquest began in June 2026 after the Victorian Coroners Court disclosed in December that postpartum haemorrhage—the leading preventable cause of maternal death globally—was responsible. Coroner Therese McCarthy's findings could influence state or national policy on freebirth regulation and the legal obligations of birth attendants operating outside formal medical systems.