Doctors Report Trauma After Treating Influencer Who Died Following Home Birth

Doctors who attempted to save the life of a wellness influencer after she hemorrhaged following a home birth have reported flashbacks, insomnia, anxiety and depression, a court heard. Nisha Khot, director of obstetrics and gynaecology at Frankston Hospital, told the Victorian Coroners Court on Wednesday that staff questioned the value of their training in the weeks after the death.

The 30-year-old woman arrived at the hospital by ambulance on September 29 after giving birth at home attended only by her husband and a doula.

Khot said staff exhausted supplies of a key blood type, performed a hysterectomy and drained fluid around the woman's heart during resuscitation efforts. She presented the court with the woman's birth plan, which instructed her husband to perform maneuvers if the baby became stuck.

Khot expressed concern that an untrained person might follow the instructions, noting they could cause injuries to infants. The baby was born without complication and did not require any of the outlined steps.

Shub, head of the Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval service, told the court that serious complications from free births have increased. Data showed seven serious adverse events in 2023 rising to 20 in 2025, with more than 11 events recorded in the first five months of this year.

Shub called for expanded coroner powers to investigate full-term babies who die during birth. The inquest also heard the woman twice refused an ambulance before agreeing on the third request after the birth. The hearing continues.