Wellness Influencer, 30, Died from Severe Blood Loss After ‘Freebirth’: Reports

A cause of death for Australian wellness influencer Stacey Warnecke has been determined.

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, it was revealed at the Victorian Coroners Court that Warnecke, 30, also known as Stacey Hatfield, died from suspected complications following a postpartum haemorrhage on Sept. 29, attorney Rachel Ellyard said, per 9News.

She suffered severe blood loss, multiple outlets including 9News and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) added.

Warnecke, whose son Axel survived the birth, had opted for a freebirth, which is when a family chooses to have a baby at home without help from a medical professional, such as a doctor or a midwife, according to the ABC.

The wellness content creator’s husband, Nathan Warnecke, announced her tragic death on Instagram on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Birth support worker Emily Lal, known online as The Authentic Birthkeeper, had been present for the birth at the couple’s home in the Melbourne suburb of Seaford, it was confirmed during Wednesday’s court hearing, the ABC reported. 

Lal is yet to provide a statement regarding Warnecke’s death, however, it was alleged in court that she’d cleaned the house by the time police attended the residence the following day, per the ABC.

Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) confirmed back in October that it was investigating Lal “based on information received by the Health Complaints Commissioner alleging that Ms Lal is facilitating and/or participating in homebirths which may put both mothers and babies at risk,” according to a post on the HCC website.

Lal has since been temporarily banned from providing healthcare, according to local outlet the Herald Sun.

Ellyard told the court that Warnecke hadn’t trusted the medical system after the Covid vaccine mandates in 2021, the Herald Sun noted, so she opted not to receive healthcare during her pregnancy. 

She’d given birth at 3 a.m. local time on the morning of Sept. 29, and initially appeared well but started to feel “unwell” and began to bleed after passing the placenta, the Herald Sun added. She initially declined an ambulance, but eventually agreed to getting help around 4:13 a.m.

Paramedics then arrived at 4:26 a.m. and she was found “lying on the floor next to the birthing pool,” appearing yellow, agitated, and short of breath, according to the newspaper. Warnecke arrived at Frankston Hospital at 5:07 a.m. on the morning of her death in a “critical condition,” before undergoing a number of procedures, including an emergency hysterectomy.

However, she suffered multiple cardiac arrests and died in the ICU at around 11 a.m., the Herald Sun stated. Warnecke’s bleeding had been so severe that “the hospital supply of her blood type was completely exhausted,” per the outlet.

“My role is to look at how she died and establish a finding around those facts,” Coroner Therese McCarthy said, according to the ABC, stating that she was considering whether to hold an official hearing into Warnecke’s death. The case will return to court in March.

The Victorian Coroners Court and the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

The update comes after Warnecke’s husband, Nathan Warnecke, revealed his wife’s death in a post shared to her Natural Spoonfuls Instagram page on Oct. 19. This stated that Warnecke had died about three weeks earlier after giving birth to their first son, Axel, at home.

Following the delivery, he said “an unforeseen and extremely rare complication arose and she passed after being transferred to hospital.”

“Hospital staff were amazing and did the utmost to help, but ultimately nothing could be done despite their best efforts,” he added. In the comments of the post, the grieving husband also recalled Warnecke’s final moments with their newborn son.

“She loved being pregnant and over the last 9 months told our son she loved him everyday,” wrote Warnecke. “She held Axel when he was born, nursed him, saw that he was a boy and loved him. She loved him so much and still, continues to love him.”

Warnecke established herself online by promoting a toxin-free lifestyle and using natural ingredients. She first launched her company, Natural Spoonfuls, in 2019, and she continued to partner with food brands and share original recipes. Warnecke also built following of thousands on Instagram, where she would post some of her culinary creations.

After Warnecke’s initial announcement, the couple’s friend Jon Downie posted another update to Natural Spoonfuls, detailing that he had started a GoFundMe to honor his “beautiful friend Stacey and support her family in the way she always supported those she loved.”

In the fundraiser’s description, Downie explained, “Nathan is not one to ask for help, however we know he will need assistance. With love and support we know he will succeed and be an amazing father to Axel.”

“There is no doubt the financial prospects from here for Nathan are significant. Nathan will be unable to return to work as planned for the near future,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote.