A Victorian coroner has found the death of a baby following a home birth in Bendigo was preventable. “Baby R” died six days after birth in August 2022 from perinatal hypoxia after complications during labour led to an emergency caesarean at Bendigo Hospital. Coroner Dimitra Dubrow found the mother was not suitable for a home birth due to previous pregnancy risks and said the attending private midwives provided “deficient” care and failed to adequately advise the family about the dangers. The coroner concluded the baby may have survived if transfer to hospital had occurred several hours earlier.