Former reality TV star Pala Negara, whose newborn baby died just hours after a home birth, previously spoke about her distrust of hospitals and revealed she refused to seek medical help during a gruelling 60-hour labour with another child
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The 38-year-old Balinese model gave birth to her son, whom she named Harmony Hunter, on August 28 at home in northern NSW, 20 days after his August 8 due date.
Ms Negara's home birth took a devastating turn when complications saw both mother and baby rushed to Lismore Hospital before being transferred by a NeoRESQ helicopter across the state border to Gold Coast University Hospital.
Despite desperate efforts by medical teams to save him, Harmony died at 8pm that evening.
NSW Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the infant's death, with officers attached to the Tweed and Byron Police District preparing information for the coroner.
It is not suggested that Ms Negara was in any way responsible for the death of her baby, only that there is a police investigation.
Ms Negara first announced her child's death in a social media post alongside her partner, Byron Bay hairdresser Chris Hunter, in September.
Now, the Daily Mail can reveal that in an earlier podcast interview, Ms Negara spoke openly about her decision to reject hospital births, describing how she trusted her body even when labour with one of her older children stretched to about 60 hours.
Ms Negara first announced her child's death in a social media post alongside her partner, Byron Bay hairdresser Chris Hunter, in September
Ms Negara's home birth took a devastating turn when complications saw both mother and baby rushed to Lismore Hospital
She also revealed that her first home birth ended with her being admitted to hospital days later after suffering a haemorrhage.
In the interview, recorded in 2023, Ms Negara discussed her experiences giving birth to her two older children, Tiger Lily, eight, and Taj, six, and explained why she had chosen to deliver them at home.
'I went to all of the private hospitals that money could buy to have a viewing, and there was one theme in all of those visits,' she said.
'There was always a code blue.'
Ms Negara claimed these code-blue announcements related to babies who were not breathing or needed resuscitation or assistance from breathing machines.
'And so I was just thinking, "Oh, my God. That's so many code blues",' she said.
'But now what I realise is that there's a lot more interventions in births in the hospital system.
'And the protocols are to put them on a breathing machine.'
In the interview, recorded in 2023, Ms Negara discussed her experiences giving birth to her two older children and explained why she had chosen to deliver them at home
She said she had heard about five code blues at each hospital she visited, which she found deeply concerning.
'I think that was a little bit too much of a coincidence for me,' she said.
Ms Negara also explained that during her first pregnancy eight years ago, doctors warned her about possible complications.
'At 28 weeks, they told me that Tiger Lily was most likely going to die,' she said.
'They said that was from a termination I had at 21. I had scar tissue. That in itself was very wrong.
'I had a lot of haemorrhaging after that and it was done by a professional place; however, there was an anaesthetist that later went to jail.
'It was a huge, huge thing in the media that he was giving women HIV. The whole thing was a disaster.'
The Daily Mail cannot find reports of an Australian anaesthetist jailed for giving women HIV.
However, drug-addicted former anaesthetist James Peters was sentenced in 2013 to 14 years' jail after infecting 55 women with hepatitis C while working at a Melbourne abortion clinic. It is possible this is what Ms Negara was referring to.
Drug-addicted former Melbourne anaesthetist James Peters was sentenced in 2013 to 14 years' jail after infecting 55 women with hepatitis C while working at an abortion clinic
Ms Negara claimed that during her first pregnancy eight years ago, doctors warned her about possible complications only for them to admit there had been a mistake and her child was born healthy. This made her question a hospital birth
'Any woman who has been pregnant for 28 weeks would know that's a long time,' Ms Negara added.
'You feel the baby moving - the baby is quite big - and so I said I'd rather risk it and if my baby is going to die, then that was my journey.'
But four weeks after the warning about Tiger Lily, Ms Negara claimed hospital staff admitted they had made a mistake about her child's chances of survival and apologised.
'The doctor said that they are really sorry on behalf of the hospital. They wanted to issue me with an apology because they made a mistake,' she said.
The experience left her questioning what might have happened had she acted on the original warning.
'I just think my heart just sank for all of the women who maybe listened, if that ever happened to them, and then their whole lives have been changed forever,' she said.
It was then, she recalled, that she decided she no longer wanted to give birth in hospital.
'Basically, I went to my partner and I said, "That's it",' she said. 'And I told him and he said, "We can do this ourselves".'
Ms Negara, a 38-year-old Australian-Balinese model, is pictured at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney on May 14, 2024
Ms Negara said her partner initially favoured a hospital birth but changed his mind.
Together, they found a home-birth midwife in Melbourne's Bayside region, who Ms Negara said remained a close friend.
Her first daughter, Tiger Lily, was born at home following a labour she said lasted more than 40 hours.
She said her midwife missed the delivery because the baby arrived before she could get there.
The birth was followed by complications.
'I think I pushed the placenta too early, and a little bit of bleeding. So I ended up having to go to hospital a few days later with a haemorrhage,' she said.
Despite that experience, Ms Negara chose another home birth when she became pregnant with her son, Taj.
This time, she said, the labour lasted approximately 60 hours.
Ms Negara appeared on the reality series Ex on the Beach: Couples in 2023
'Anyone who is a nurse or a doctor will say that you have to go to hospital and that would be considered a caesarean,' she said.
'And I knew that, and I didn't want to go to hospital because I knew that I was capable of giving birth, and I know that I trust my body.
'I know that all babies take their own individual time. It's like all of our bodies are different. There's no time for every person.
'So I just trusted I could feel him moving, and it was very hard. I was screaming.'
She described the experience as a personal journey of empowerment.
Speaking to the Mail by phone on Tuesday about Harmony's death, Ms Negara said she was registered with a local home birth program provided through Byron Central Hospital.
She claimed that she felt 'really let down with what happened with Harmony', adding: 'We did everything right, we were under the Medicare system and I had my 41-week scan and everything was fine.'
In further correspondence by email, Ms Negara claimed that 'at 41 weeks and six days, I was advised by text that care through the program would end because of its gestational limit'.
Speaking to the Mail by phone on Tuesday about Harmony's death, Ms Negara said she was registered with a local home birth program provided through Byron Central Hospital
Ms Negara said Harmony was later born on August 28 after she went into spontaneous labour in the early hours.
'I understand a rare silent placental abruption occurred during delivery and was identified only afterwards. Paramedics were called and, to my recollection, arrived approximately 40 minutes later.
'Harmony survived for 16 hours and passed away at Gold Coast University Hospital, with the Queensland coroner's autopsy findings stating cause of death due to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).'
HIE is a brain injury caused by reduced oxygen (hypoxia) and restricted blood flow (ischaemia) to a newborn's brain before, during or shortly after birth.
'Alongside our devastating grief, I am receiving counselling and recovering from postpartum haemorrhage,' Ms Negara added.
'Harmony was deeply wanted and loved.
'He was the bridging of mine and Chris's families (from our previous relationships in which we each have two children) into one and our family deserves compassion and privacy. This was supposed to be our happy ending.'
Ms Negara appeared on the reality series Ex on the Beach: Couples in 2023.
Represented by GIANT Model Management, she has appeared in campaigns for Myer alongside Jennifer Hawkins, Carla Zampatti and Nude by Nature.
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