Latest news with #EmilyLal
News18
2 days ago
- Health
- News18
Australian Newborn Dies After Mother Uses Home-Birthing Pool Hired From Instagram Influencer
A newborn in Australia died after a home birth in a rented birthing pool from Instagram influencer Emily Lal. Paramedics couldn't revive the infant. A newborn in Australia died after her mother gave birth at home in a rented birthing pool supplied by Instagram influencer Emily Lal. According to The New York Post, the mother, identified as Ms. E, rented the pool from Emily Lal, known online as 'The Authentic Birthkeeper",—who describes herself as 'disillusioned with the medical system." The incident occurred in December 2022. After giving birth, Ms. E messaged Lal saying, 'I did it", and planned to have a postpartum visit. However, she was unable to deliver the placenta until the following morning, at which point she realised something was wrong with her baby. Ms. E sent Lal a message at 8 am saying, 'We can't wake her, we aren't sure if she's breathing," along with a photo of the baby's blue face. However, Lal didn't see the message for 25 minutes. After reading the message, Lal called the parents via FaceTime and, suspecting the baby had died, told them to call an ambulance. Paramedics performed CPR for 30 minutes but were unable to revive the infant. Forensic pathologist Yeliena Baber stated that delivering in a hospital would have allowed preventive measures to be taken. 'If Baby E were born in a hospital and Ms. E had received appropriate antenatal care, it is highly unlikely that Baby E would have died, as she was a healthy baby and her death was caused by the prolonged delivery in a home birthing pool," Dr. Baber said. She added that if a trained midwife had been present during the prolonged labour, they likely would have transferred the mother to a hospital at the first signs of the baby being in distress. The coroner determined that the baby's death likely could have been prevented if the delivery had taken place in a hospital or had been a planned home birth with qualified midwife support. 'A homebirth is distinguished from a 'freebirth', which is when someone chooses to give birth to their baby without medical or midwifery assistance. The publicly available information regarding water birth … is not directed at women intending to birth at home with no medical assistance or antenatal medical management," she said. 'The single consultation with (Ms. E's GP) late in the pregnancy provided no real opportunity for education to be given regarding birth options," she added. view comments First Published: August 11, 2025, 16:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Newborn In Australia Dies After Mother Uses Home-Birthing Pool Hired From Instagram Influencer
A newborn baby in Australia died after her mother gave birth at home using a birthing pool rented from Instagram influencer Emily Lal. According to The New York Post, the mother, Ms. E, rented a birthing pool from Emily Lal, also known as The Authentic Birthkeeper, who describes herself as being "disillusioned with the medical system". The incident happened in December 2022. After giving birth, Ms. E messaged Lal saying, "I did it", and planned to have a postpartum visit. However, she struggled to deliver the placenta until the next morning. It was then that she realised something was wrong with her baby. Ms. E sent Lal a message at 8 am saying, "We can't wake her, we aren't sure if she's breathing," along with a photo of the baby's blue face. However, Lal didn't see the message for 25 minutes. After seeing the message, Lal made a FaceTime call and, believing the baby was dead, instructed the parents to call an ambulance. Paramedics attempted CPR for 30 minutes but couldn't revive her. According to forensic pathologist Yeliena Baber, a hospital birth would have allowed for preventive measures to be taken. "If Baby E were born in a hospital and Ms. E had received appropriate antenatal care, it is highly unlikely that Baby E would have died, as she was a healthy baby and her death was caused by the prolonged delivery in a home birthing pool," Dr. Baber said. She further stated that a trained midwife present during the prolonged labour would have likely transferred the mother to a hospital if the baby showed signs of distress. The coroner concluded that the baby's death likely wouldn't have happened if the birth had occurred in a hospital or if it had been a planned home birth with proper midwife support. "A homebirth is distinguished from a 'freebirth', which is when someone chooses to birth their baby without medical or midwifery assistance. The publicly available information regarding water birth … is not directed at women intending to birth at home with no medical assistance or antenatal medical management,' she said. "The single consultation with (Ms. E's GP) late in the pregnancy provided no real opportunity for education to be given regarding birth options,'' she added.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Newborn dies after mother uses ‘home-birthing' pool hired from influencer Emily Lal
A newborn baby in Australia died after her mother delivered her in a 'home-birthing' pool hired from freebirth-promoting influencer Emily Lal. As per the findings of the Coroners Court of Victoria, it is 'unlikely' that the baby girl would have died had she been born in a hospital or if a midwife had been present during the birth in December 2022. A newborn baby in Australia died after an unsupervised home birth (Representational image) The mother, referred to as Mrs E in the coroner's report, was 41 years old when she fell pregnant with Baby E in March 2022. She did not see a general practitioner (GP) or obstetrician for regular antenatal tests and scans, and she planned to birth at home in a birthing pool, the report said. During her pregnancy, she went to a general practitioner only once, and that too to ascertain whether there were two heartbeats or one. Mrs E declined to have a blood screen and ultrasound. Instead, he informed the GP that she had a 'team' organising the birth. Renting a home-birthing pool Before the delivery, Mrs E contacted Instagram influencer Emily Lal – known as The Authentic Birthkeeper on Instagram – to rent a birthing pool. Labour began on December 26, 2022, and Mrs E spent the next two days almost continuously in the pool. The water in the pool was changed only once during this time. The baby was born late on December 28 after a prolonged labour, but the placenta was not delivered and the umbilical cord remained uncut. By the next morning, the parents noticed something was wrong. They claim they contacted Lal via video call before calling an ambulance, but paramedics were unable to revive the infant. A preventable death An autopsy found the baby died from neonatal pneumonia, meconium aspiration and chorioamnionitis, with bacteria likely introduced via the birthing pool. The coroner concluded the death was preventable and would likely not have occurred had the birth taken place in hospital or under the care of a trained midwife. Who is Emily Lal? Emily Lal is a Melbourne-based Instagram influencer who goes by the Instagram handle @the_authentic_birthkeeper. She positions herself as a "birth keeper" or freebirth birthkeeper, supporting women who choose to birth outside the traditional medical system. Her website emphasizes guiding women to "take back birth", trusting their intuition, and reconnecting with their bodies. In podcasts, she describes her own home births, one attended by a private midwife and another entirely unassisted, as transformative and liberating experiences that inspired her work.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘We can't wake her': Baby dies in home-birthing method promoted by Instagram influencer
A newborn baby died after her mother delivered her using a home-birthing pool hired from 'freebirth' Instagram influencer Emily Lal, a coroner has found. The findings made in the Coroners Court of Victoria say it is 'unlikely' the baby girl would have died had she been born in a hospital setting, or if the home birth had occurred with appropriate midwife support. The mother, referred to as Ms E, gave birth to her child in December 2022. Prior to the birth, Ms E contacted Ms Lal – who operates as The Authentic Birthkeeper on Instagram – to rent a birthing pool to help deliver her baby. The Melbourne-based influencer described herself as being 'disillusioned with the medical system', and held the 'philosophy' that registered midwives were 'complicit in, and contributing to, the harm of women'. There is no suggestion that Ms E chose the birthing method because of promotions made by Ms Lal. The coronial inquest found Ms E contacted the influencer to hire a birthing pool. According to the findings, Ms E said she kept in contact with Ms Lal 'socially' but did not seek any service or advice from the influencer. However, Ms E said she requested to keep in contact with the influencer after the birth to 'conduct a post-partum visit'. Half an hour after Ms E gave birth to her child, she sent a message to Ms Lal saying 'I did it'. She was unable to deliver the placenta until the next morning. The morning following the birth, Ms E realised something was wrong with her baby. Ms E sent a message to Ms Lal at about 8am saying, 'We can't wake her, we aren't sure if she's breathing,' with a picture of the baby, whose face had turned blue. Ms Lal didn't see the message for 25 minutes, according to the inquest findings. Upon seeing the message, Ms Lal made a Facetime call and saw the baby girl. Believing her to be dead, she told Ms E and Mr E to call for an ambulance. Paramedics noted the baby's heartbeat was flatlining and attempted CPR for 30 minutes, but were unable to revive her. Ms E was transported to the Mercy Women's Hospital for treatment. Forensic pathologist Yeliena Baber said had Ms E given birth in the hospital, preventive measures would have been put in place. Dr Baber concluded: 'If Baby E was born in hospital and Ms E had received appropriate antenatal care, it is highly unlikely that Baby E would have died, as she was a healthy baby and her death was caused by the prolonged delivery in a home birthing pool'. She further noted if a trained midwife had been present during the homebirth and prolonged labour, it would be expected they would escalate care to a hospital if 'it was clear that the baby was in distress'. Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald found Baby E's death may have been preventable. In her findings, she said the baby's death was 'unlikely to have occurred if the birth occurred in a hospital setting' and may have been avoided if the 'birth was a planned homebirth with appropriate midwife support'. 'A homebirth is distinguished from a 'freebirth', which is when someone chooses to birth their baby without medical or midwifery assistance,' she said. 'The publicly available information regarding water birth … are not directed at women intending to birth at home with no medical assistance or antenatal medical management.' 'The single consultation with (Ms E's GP) late in the pregnancy provided no real opportunity for education to be given regarding birth options.' Ms Fitzgerald did not make any adverse findings against the baby's parents or Ms Lal.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Woman loses her baby after choosing dangerous 'freebirth' method promoted by Instagrammer
A newborn girl died after her mother delivered her using a home birthing pool hired from an Instagram influencer who advocates for 'freebirths', a coroner has found. Melbourne-based influencer Emily Lal creates content opposing medical intervention during pregnancy, known as 'freebirths', and offers birthing pools for rent. Ms Lal has said she is 'very disillusioned with the medical system' and that registered midwives are 'complicit in, and contributing to, the harm of women'. Ms Lal was cited in a coronial report published on Thursday into the death of a newborn, 'Baby E', in December 2022. The mother, 'Ms E', did not seek regular medical help during pregnancy, attending a GP only at 36 weeks' gestation. She engaged directly with Ms Lal, through her Instagram, 'The Authentic Birthkeeper', from whom she rented the birthing pool she used to deliver her baby. Ms E said she remained in social contact with Ms Lal but did not seek any services or advice from her, other than inquiring about a possible visit after the birth. According to a record relied on by the coroner, Ms Lal recalled Ms E texted her shortly after the baby was born on the evening of December 28 saying: 'I did it.' She did not deliver the placenta until the following morning and gradually became concerned the baby was suffering complications. During the morning, Ms E sent another text to Ms Lal saying: 'We can't wake her, we aren't sure if she's breathing,' alongside an image of the newborn with a blue face. Paramedics were unable to revive the baby, who died on the morning of December 29, but rushed Ms E to hospital for treatment. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was neonatal pneumonia, meconium aspiration, and chorioamnionitis, secondary to prolonged labour in a home birthing pool. Forensic pathologist Dr Yeliena Baber stated that had the birth occurred in a hospital, preventative measures could have been taken. '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,' she said. Coroner Fitzgerald accepted the autopsy findings, stating the use of the birthing pool contributed to the baby's death. '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,' she said. The coroner made no adverse findings against the parents or Ms Lal. Ms Lal is not a health professional and her social media profile bears the disclaimer: 'no medical advice'. She has repeatedly claimed it is not her intent to convert anyone to her method of pregnancy and, instead, aims only to express her own opinion. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms E relied on any representations by Ms Lal in deciding how to conduct the birth or pregnancy. Safer Care Victoria (SCV) encourages women and families to seek care from trained and registered health professionals during pregnancy. 'In recent years, there has been an increase in freebirths in Victoria 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,' its website reads. It 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.'
