Birthkeeper hired by woman who died after freebirth tells inquest she was ‘not there to make a birth safer’ (opens original article in a new tab)

A birthkeeper involved in a woman's home birth that resulted in her death testified that she was not there to make the birth safer, emphasizing her role as a non-medical support figure.

• A birthkeeper testified that she was not there to make a birth safer, despite the woman she assisted dying after a home birth.
• The birthkeeper, Emily Lal, stated her role was primarily as a friend and did not involve medical training or decision-making regarding emergency care.
• The inquest heard that postpartum haemorrhage is more dangerous at home than in hospital, and Lal acknowledged this after the woman's death.