Birthing without doctors—is it brave choice or dangerous gamble?
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Content warning: This article discusses the death of a newborn baby.
A Melbourne mother’s choice to give birth at home without medical assistance ended in tragedy.
The baby girl died after a prolonged labour in a birthing pool rented from a social media influencer who promotes 'freebirths'.
What went wrong during this birth outside the hospital could have been preventable.
The newborn, known as ‘Baby E’, died in December 2022 after her mother, referred to as ‘Ms E’, delivered her using a home birthing pool hired from Emily Lal—an influencer based in Melbourne who opposes medical intervention during pregnancy.
Ms Lal’s social media profile promotes ‘freebirths’, a method of giving birth without trained medical support, and she offers birthing pools for rent.
Ms Lal has publicly expressed her distrust of conventional healthcare, stating she is ‘very disillusioned with the medical system’ and accusing registered midwives of being ‘complicit in, and contributing to, the harm of women’.
Despite her outspoken views, she is not a health professional and includes a disclaimer on her profile stating: ‘no medical advice’.
Ms E did not attend regular antenatal care and only saw a GP at 36 weeks’ gestation. She connected with Ms Lal through social media, renting the birthing pool from her but reportedly did not seek medical advice or assistance from Ms Lal beyond an inquiry about a possible visit after the birth.
After the birth on the evening of 28 December, Ms E messaged Ms Lal saying: ‘I did it.’ However, she did not deliver the placenta until the next morning and soon grew worried as the baby showed signs of distress. Ms E texted again: ‘We can’t wake her, we aren’t sure if she’s breathing,’ sending an image of the newborn with a blue face.
Emergency services were called but paramedics were unable to revive the baby, who died on the morning of 29 December. Ms E was rushed to hospital for treatment.
A coronial report into the death found the cause was neonatal pneumonia, meconium aspiration, and chorioamnionitis, all linked to the prolonged labour in the home birthing pool.
Forensic pathologist Dr Yeliena Baber said that if the birth had occurred in hospital, ‘preventative measures could have been taken’. She added, ‘Even if Baby E’s condition was poor at the time of her birth, if she had been born at hospital, she would have received immediate resuscitation from trained neonatologists, improving her likelihood of survival.’
Coroner Fitzgerald accepted the autopsy findings, concluding that the birthing pool contributed to the baby’s death. The coroner stated it was ‘unlikely to have occurred if the birth occurred in a hospital setting, and it may also have been avoided if the birth was a planned homebirth with appropriate midwife support’.
The coroner made no adverse findings against the parents or Ms Lal.
Safer Care Victoria (SCV) urged women and families to seek care from registered health professionals during pregnancy.
Their website warns that freebirths have increased in Victoria in recent years and ‘unfortunately, some have resulted in poor outcomes for mothers and babies, such as severe bleeding in the mother or breathing problems in the baby leading to long term health issues or even death’.
SCV strongly encourages ‘women and families to seek care from trained AHPRA registered professionals, who can provide medical support when needed, helping to ensure the safest possible outcomes for mother and baby.’
Some birth choices spark strong opinions and reveal deep divides about parenting and health.
In one recent example, an influencer’s unusual use of breast milk ignited a heated debate online.
If you found this story thought-provoking, you might want to see how another personal choice stirred public reaction.
Read more: Would you dare? Influencer sparks debate with bold breast milk stunt
Could the tragedy of Baby E have been avoided if trusted medical care had been sought earlier?
A Melbourne mother’s choice to give birth at home without medical assistance ended in tragedy.
The baby girl died after a prolonged labour in a birthing pool rented from a social media influencer who promotes 'freebirths'.
What went wrong during this birth outside the hospital could have been preventable.
The newborn, known as ‘Baby E’, died in December 2022 after her mother, referred to as ‘Ms E’, delivered her using a home birthing pool hired from Emily Lal—an influencer based in Melbourne who opposes medical intervention during pregnancy.
Ms Lal’s social media profile promotes ‘freebirths’, a method of giving birth without trained medical support, and she offers birthing pools for rent.
Ms Lal has publicly expressed her distrust of conventional healthcare, stating she is ‘very disillusioned with the medical system’ and accusing registered midwives of being ‘complicit in, and contributing to, the harm of women’.
Baby dies after home birth without medical help. Image source: Pexels/kelvin agustinus
Disclaimer: This is a stock image used for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual person, item, or event described.
Disclaimer: This is a stock image used for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual person, item, or event described.
Despite her outspoken views, she is not a health professional and includes a disclaimer on her profile stating: ‘no medical advice’.
Ms E did not attend regular antenatal care and only saw a GP at 36 weeks’ gestation. She connected with Ms Lal through social media, renting the birthing pool from her but reportedly did not seek medical advice or assistance from Ms Lal beyond an inquiry about a possible visit after the birth.
After the birth on the evening of 28 December, Ms E messaged Ms Lal saying: ‘I did it.’ However, she did not deliver the placenta until the next morning and soon grew worried as the baby showed signs of distress. Ms E texted again: ‘We can’t wake her, we aren’t sure if she’s breathing,’ sending an image of the newborn with a blue face.
Emergency services were called but paramedics were unable to revive the baby, who died on the morning of 29 December. Ms E was rushed to hospital for treatment.
A coronial report into the death found the cause was neonatal pneumonia, meconium aspiration, and chorioamnionitis, all linked to the prolonged labour in the home birthing pool.
Forensic pathologist Dr Yeliena Baber said that if the birth had occurred in hospital, ‘preventative measures could have been taken’. She added, ‘Even if Baby E’s condition was poor at the time of her birth, if she had been born at hospital, she would have received immediate resuscitation from trained neonatologists, improving her likelihood of survival.’
Coroner Fitzgerald accepted the autopsy findings, concluding that the birthing pool contributed to the baby’s death. The coroner stated it was ‘unlikely to have occurred if the birth occurred in a hospital setting, and it may also have been avoided if the birth was a planned homebirth with appropriate midwife support’.
The coroner made no adverse findings against the parents or Ms Lal.
Safer Care Victoria (SCV) urged women and families to seek care from registered health professionals during pregnancy.
Their website warns that freebirths have increased in Victoria in recent years and ‘unfortunately, some have resulted in poor outcomes for mothers and babies, such as severe bleeding in the mother or breathing problems in the baby leading to long term health issues or even death’.
SCV strongly encourages ‘women and families to seek care from trained AHPRA registered professionals, who can provide medical support when needed, helping to ensure the safest possible outcomes for mother and baby.’
Some birth choices spark strong opinions and reveal deep divides about parenting and health.
In one recent example, an influencer’s unusual use of breast milk ignited a heated debate online.
If you found this story thought-provoking, you might want to see how another personal choice stirred public reaction.
Read more: Would you dare? Influencer sparks debate with bold breast milk stunt
Could the tragedy of Baby E have been avoided if trusted medical care had been sought earlier?
