Penny Burrows, Christina Meyer charged with manslaughter over baby’s death

Details of how a baby boy died during a home birth allegedly conducted by a “birthkeeper” with no medical qualifications and an unregistered midwife have emerged after two women were charged.

A woman with no medical qualifications who calls herself an “accredited childbirth educator” has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a baby by allegedly attempting a breech home birth “without adequate training, knowledge, or equipment”.

Self-described “birthkeeper” Penelope Burrows, also known as Penny, was charged with manslaughter alongside Christina Meyer after the death of a baby boy on September 11, 2022 at Karangi, 10 minutes west of Coffs Harbour.

Police will allege Meyer was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth, while Burrows had no medical qualifications whatsoever.

Coffs/Clarence Police District detectives began an investigation after the baby boy tragically died in hospital despite the best efforts of medical professionals.

“Emergency services had been called to a home at Karangi on September 11 2022, after a baby was unresponsive following a home birth,” NSW Police said in a statement.

"Birthkeeper" Penelope "Penny" Burrows.

“NSW Ambulance paramedics attended and treated a newborn boy at the scene before he was airlifted to Coffs Base Hospital, where he later died.”

After a lengthy investigation, the pair were charged in February with manslaughter.

Coffs Harbour Base Hospital.

“Police will allege in court the younger woman was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth, while the older woman held no medical qualifications and had been practising unregistered homebirth midwifery,” the NSW Police statement continued.

Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed the alleged circumstances of the baby boy’s death.

“(Police will allege Meyer and Burrows) did cause the death of the baby in circumstances amounting to manslaughter (by) attempting a breech birth without adequate training, knowledge, or equipment,” the court documents tendered to Coffs Harbour Local Court state.

Meyer, 41, and Burrows, 51, remain on bail and their matters have been adjourned to the same court on May 13.

Coffs Harbour Base Hospital.

The pair have both been subject to interim prohibition orders issued by the Health Care Complaints Commission since March 21, 2023.

Both Burrows and Meyer are described as being, or presenting themselves as, doulas, midwives, birth keepers, childbirth educators, birth workers, birth support, unregistered midwives, and lay midwives.

Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, the title “midwife” is protected, and only midwives registered or endorsed with the Nursing and Midwifery Boards because of sufficient training and qualification can use that title in Australia.

Burrows is listed as having worked for “over 20 years supporting families through the post-partum time” on an Australian website called Innate Traditions.

“For 17 of those years I have worked as a birthkeeper, trained by apprenticeship in the art of being with birth, herbal medicine for the childbearing year and craniosacral therapy,” Burrows writes.

“I am also an accredited childbirth educator.

“I support women to birth their babies at home and couples through the rite of passage that makes them a family.”

Under the orders, the pair are both prohibited from providing, or causing to be provided, any health services either paid or voluntary to any member of the public.

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