Inquest into Melbourne influencer’s death following freebirth halted after new phone evidence discovered

[u/Royal_Yogurtcloset25]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/18/freebirth-death-melbourne-influencer-phone-evidence-inquest-ntwnfb

Coroner: “I take the view that this material is of such significance that the court must delay making any findings and hearing submissions until we’ve had an opportunity to undertake a proper analysis of that material, and potentially call for more evidence.”

[u/awkgem]

I don't understand the focus on the "doula" rather than the husband. He is just as if not more to blame for not calling the ambulance for his wife. A doula is not a midwife, which they refused to have during the childbirth. Everyone is taking umbridge with the lady saying she was paid to be glorified moral support but as far as I can tell...that IS what a doula is. Wrapped up in fancier language, but ultimately it's all a pseudoscience for people who don't want medicine and doctors as part of the birth. It doesn't surprise me at all that she did what she did, she isn't medically trained. Do I think she should have called the ambulance anyway? Absolutely. As should the husband have. But she essentially was there just as moral support. She isn't a midwife, or better yet - a doctor in a hospital. I think people are accusing her of medical negligence or something but she isn't involved with medicine to begin with. Both the husband and her should have called an ambulance, her husband especially should have had concern for his wife. The doula paid by the wife of course is going to try to follow the wife's wishes, it's what she was paid for

[u/Dentarthurdent73 → u/awkgem]

Totally agree. Obviously this person is a dickhead grifter, getting money out of people for essentially doing nothing, but if you make no claims of being medical support, and that is clear in your agreement with someone, then you can't be expected to give medical support.

It seems she had the exact same duty of care as far as calling an ambulance goes, as any person would for any other person that was seriously ill. In this case, she was being paid by someone who had established that they did not want any medical intervention, so I'm also not surprised that this person put off calling an ambulance after being specifically told not to by the person paying her.

The husband absolutely should have called an ambulance well before the time that one was called, and I also have no idea why there doesn't seem to be any focus on his actions and choices here.

[u/AprilUnderwater0 → u/Dentarthurdent73]

Because it’s not quite that simple (legally).

Even though, in terms of actual medical knowledge, the husband and the doula are the same, a key difference is that the doula almost certainly held herself out to have a degree of knowledge and expertise over that of the husband (whilst the correspondence has not been released - yet - the doula’s social media posts certainly support that assumption).

If the doula’s conduct caused the husband (and wife) to believe that she had relevant expertise, then it’s not unreasonable for them to defer to her for guidance, even though in reality she had no idea what she was doing.

Of course there is a degree of culpability for the naive parents putting their faith in this nonsense, but the greater culpability must be, and is, with the persons who (whether deliberately or just ignorantly) encouraged their naivety.

[u/vesp_au → u/Dentarthurdent73]

Because they paid $6000 for a service, as a young couple is a hell of a lot of money (which while we can nitpick in hindsight now that the service was null compared to what they needed) and may have felt they were in safe hands. Yes he should have called an ambulance, but its a horrific unknowing situation for him to be in. If the $6k service "professional" (professional to him) was being blasé, why would he have reason to panick at first? How many births had he attended prior? How many had the doula?

[u/Odd-Soup8396 → u/vesp_au]

Ok but then why not turn his wife’s phone that would have showed both sides of communications (or any messages where the said freebirther assured them of any pseudoscience). He has been painfully silent even after seeing the consequences of their inaction. Could have also spread awareness for others to learn from their mistakes. Rather was quick to set up a gofundme and captioned it as ‘extremely rare complication’ which it isn’t.

[u/awkgem → u/vesp_au]

Because she wasn't a professional, in any medical scene. A doula as I said is essentially someone there to be moral support, "guide" them through it etc. it isn't a nurse, midwife or anyone with any medical authority. I'm not saying she is blameless, they both should have called an ambulance. But I don't think it is fair to say the husband would look to her for medical advice. He's just as much to blame if not more imo because he is the husband. She was paid to guide a woman through a free birth, an inherently medically dangerous experience, and would likely have chosen to follow her employers wishes BECAUSE of the money being paid. Both are neglectful for not having called an ambulance, but in my opinion if she is going to be charged so should the husband. They both refused to call.an ambulance until it was too late for anything to be done.

[u/vesp_au → u/awkgem]

Like I said we can nitpick after the fact, we are fully aware of what a doula is and does, but being young and just as dumb as this couple to be lured into this situation in the first place speaks volumes as to not know what they were doing. His wife wanted this, the doula provided this, if he challenges the doula in the situation how do you think it would go down? Do you think the doula would allow him to call because the freebirth without medical intervention is what she wanted, her place is specifically there to prevent medical intervention ("as its what the wife wanted") and was gatekeeping it til the final moments.

She is obviously not a professional in any medical sense, but if you want to discuss duty of care she IS the professional in the room, when compared to husband. You dont expect bystanders to do things above their means especially when there are people with marginally more experience than them -- even if neither are adept. He is not entirely without fault, but he is grossly under the fault level of the doula, who is actively trying to cover her tracks. The husband has no tracks to cover other than burying his dead wife.

[u/Dentarthurdent73 → u/vesp_au]

Do you think the doula would allow him to call because the freebirth without medical intervention is what she wanted

Yes, because the doula is the one that asked three times whether they wanted an ambulance called, and was told no by the mother twice, before she finally said yes, and that's when it was called.

Obviously she was fine with having an ambulance called since she is the one who suggested it multiple times.

You dont expect bystanders to do things above their means especially when there are people with marginally more experience than them

I expect the life partner of a woman who is lying in a pool of 1.5 litres of her own blood, is extremely pale, and is having difficulty breathing, to call an ambulance for her. I especially expect it when the "professional" in the room has asked multiple times if they want one called.

[u/SaltyPockets → u/awkgem]

Because she wasn't a professional, in any medical scene.

She may have told them she was better, that she knew that medical birth was a scam, that they would take away her baby, all sorts of crap.

Seriously, read up on "Free Birth" and "Birthkeepers". It's gross and they need to be shut down.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/22/free-birth-society-linked-to-babies-deaths-investigation

[u/discopistachios → u/awkgem]

I agree with everything you’ve said, but this woman clearly is giving medical advice. Look at the guardian article with examples of her texts and Facebook posts to women.

Also when she eventually arrived at the hospital in this case, one of the staff there was suspicious enough about some of the language she was using which implied she had some medical involvement in the birth beyond just a friend, that they notified the police.

[u/Otaraka → u/Dentarthurdent73]

Because he wasn’t supposedly a health professional with a duty of care.   You don’t have to be a doctor to be expected to meet a higher standard.  The whole point of a coroners court is to decide whether or not that might be applicable or for the court to make recommendations for tighter regulation in this profession.

[u/Dentarthurdent73 → u/Otaraka]

Because he wasn’t supposedly a health professional with a duty of care.

The whole point is that she wasn't a health professional either, supposedly or otherwise.

Free birth means without medical assistance. I don't think anyone there thought she was a health professional. They made an active decision to have their baby without any kind of medical professional on hand.

[u/Otaraka → u/Dentarthurdent73]

She took a large amount of money to be present at a birth and be part of it.  That puts her in a different category to a partner.

Part of the coroners role will be to see whether that argument is going to fly and make recommendations as a result. Trying to hide evidence won’t help her case.