What drives women to have a ‘freebirth’ without a midwife or doctor? Here’s what the research says |
A coronial inquest is this week examining the death of Melbourne wellness influencer Stacey Warnecke after a freebirth at her home in September.
About 25 minutes after her son Axel was born, Warnecke had a postpartum haemorrhage (severe blood loss after birth) and without timely treatment, went into cardiac arrest.
The inquest is trying to determine why Warnecke decided to have a freebirth, in order to prevent similar deaths in future. It heard Warnecke believed a freebirth was the only way to have a baby entirely on her terms.
But what does the research say about other women who seek a freebirth? My colleagues and I have been researching this question for the past decade. Here’s what we’ve found.
What is a freebirth and a birth keeper?
A freebirth is when a woman chooses to have a birth, usually at home, without a registered health professional, such as a midwife or doctor, in attendance. This is different to a homebirth, where women are cared for by a registered midwife.
Freebirths are also referred to as unassisted or wild births.
Sometimes only the partner or a friend or relative are there, but more often women hire an unregulated birth worker such as a “birth keeper” or doula for support.
Unregulated birth workers don’t have the formal training, medical equipment or skills to detect and manage any complications.
But our research has shown unregulated birth workers often provide care that is clinical, such as assessing the growth of the baby or listening to the baby’s heart during labour.
Read more: What’s the difference........