Nigerian home-birth influencer charged with manslaughter after baby’s death in Australia
Oyebola Coxon, a privately practising midwife and Nigerian-born influencer who promotes “natural” home births, has been charged with manslaughter in Australia after the death of a baby she helped deliver.
Coxon, 36, reportedly attended a home in Wallsend, New South Wales, last October to assist a woman in labour.
According to Mail Online, she allegedly ignored warning signs of complications and the mother’s repeated pleas to be taken to hospital, leaving her in labour for two days.
The woman was eventually taken to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where her baby boy was delivered via emergency caesarean.
Police said both mother and child suffered severe medical complications, and the baby died eight days later.
Coxon, who posts under the Instagram handle Mamma Informata, has long used her platform to advocate against medical interventions during pregnancy.
In her videos, she has dismissed gestational diabetes as non-existent, discouraged ultrasounds and blood tests, and urged women to resist doctors’ advice. She also marketed paid online courses on childbirth and breastfeeding.
Following a police investigation into the newborn’s death, Coxon was arrested in Wallsend on August 14 and charged with manslaughter and grievous bodily harm, the New South Wales police force said.
She was granted bail after appearing in court, with strict conditions prohibiting her from practising midwifery or offering pregnancy-related education.
Coxon’s trial is scheduled to begin on October 15 at Newcastle Crown court.
