Forensic phone data suggests birthkeeper coached clients to fear hospital care

Forensic analysis of a deceased mother's phone revealed messages indicating her birthkeeper actively coached her to avoid hospital intervention, a Victorian coroner heard on Monday.

Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist, died in September 2025 at Frankston Hospital in Melbourne following a home birth attended by Emily Lal.

Warnecke paid Lal $6,000 for support throughout her pregnancy and during the delivery, which involved a postpartum haemorrhage.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Rachel Ellyard, presented new evidence from a WhatsApp group chat and direct phone calls that contradicted Lal's previous testimony.

Lal had previously told the court in June that she was hired primarily as a supportive friend and that the fee covered her time rather than medical advice.

Ellyard argued that the digital record showed Lal viewed her role as grooming clients to resist medical help and pain relief during labor.

"Ms Lal saw her role as to groom her clients into being strong enough to resist the temptation to seek medical help during labor," Ellyard stated.

During a recorded call, Warnecke expressed fear of hospitals, and Lal responded, "You should be scared of the hospital."

Lal also told Warnecke that midwives sometimes inadvertently sabotage home births by suggesting hospital transfer if the labor takes too long.

Lal previously told the court she was not clinically trained and it was not her responsibility to call an ambulance unless specifically asked.

Warnecke lost up to 1.5 litres of blood after delivering the placenta and began struggling to breathe.

Lal asked Warnecke three times whether she wanted an ambulance called, according to court records from earlier in the inquest in June 2026 hearings context, though the specific timing of the asks relative to the phone analysis is part of the ongoing review of evidence consistency mentioned by Ellyard regarding the totality of the record presented on Monday. The source notes Lal asked three times after the placenta was delivered and Warnecke said yes on the third attempt. By the time paramedics arrived, Warnecke was seriously unwell. The hospital exhausted its blood supply trying to save her. Warnecke died several hours later. Ellyard told the coroner that Warnecke would have survived if she were in hospital or giving birth with a registered midwife, citing medical evidence that postpartum haemorrhage is a common and treatable complication. Ellyard also noted that Warnecke's husband, Nathan, was reassured that his role was simply to sit back and support. Lal declined to return to court to give further evidence after the phone analysis was completed. She had initially given evidence only under a certificate of protection. Ellyard proposed that the coroner could find Lal committed perjury and refer the matter to the Office of Public Prosecutions. The coroner, Therese McCarthy, will deliver her findings at a later date.