Home births, according to Nurse Blessing, a registered nurse based in Jos, “are safe for low-risk pregnancies with a trained provider.”
“They are okay, especially if it isn’t a high-risk pregnancy. But the woman must still have undergone the Antenatal clinic,” she said..
Nurse Blessing shared her perspective with The News Chronicle that home births are not inherently unsafe when handled properly.
“In Nigeria we have traditional birth attendants who are trained to handle low risk deliveries even at home. Abroad, you can decide to have home delivery after consulting your health provider. It’s dependent on the preference of the woman and, considering the pregnancy, whether high or low risk,” she explained.
Nurse Blessing’s comments come in the wake of a controversial case i n New South Wales, Australia, where an Italian-born private midwife and social media influencer, Oyebola “Bibi” Coxon, has been arrested and charged following the death of a newborn boy during a home birth she oversaw in Newcastle last year.
The Arrest of Oyebola “Bibi” Coxon
The 36-year-old, who had presented herself online as a midwife under the Instagram handle Mamma Informata, was taken into custody at Newcastle Police Station at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2025, after a ten-month investigation by the Newcastle City Police District under Strike Force Girona.
Police confirmed that Coxon has been charged with manslaughter and reckless grievous bodily harm. She has since been granted conditional bail.
According to investigators, Coxon was called to assist a woman in labour at a private home in Wallsend near Newcastle on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. They allege the labour lasted more than two days and that Coxon failed to act when complications developed. She allegedly dismissed the mother’s repeated requests to be transferred to the hospital.
On Friday, October 4, 2024, the woman was eventually admitted to John Hunter Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency caesarean section. The baby boy, born in critical condition, died in the hospital on October 10, 2024.
Detective Inspector Rob Critchlow of NSW Police said:
“Police will allege in court that over the following two days, the midwife did not act upon signs of complications and requests by the woman to attend the hospital. Both the mother and the baby suffered significant medical complications as a result of the incident.”
Who is “Bibi” Coxon?
Coxon, widely known as “Bibi”, built a following of more than 40,000 Instagram users through her page Mamma Informata, where she promoted home births and natural delivery methods.
She became known for opposing hospital interventions, telling her audience that gestational diabetes “doesn’t exist”, and discouraging ultrasounds and blood tests.
In 2022, she went viral after posting graphic photographs of the home birth of her twins, an event that attracted both praise from supporters and criticism from health professionals. Since her arrest, her Instagram account and related pages have been deleted or taken offline.
A spokesperson for Hunter New England Health District confirmed to 7 News that Coxon had not been employed by the district for several years. Public records show her last known professional posting was at New Maitland Hospital.
Coxon appeared in court on Thursday afternoon, August 14, where she was granted bail on strict conditions. These include a ban on practicing midwifery or providing pregnancy-related advice, the surrender of both her Italian and Australian passports, and daily reporting to Nelson Bay Police Station.
Her case has been scheduled for hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on October 15, 2025.
The arrest has provoked strong reactions from both medical professionals and the public. Critics have accused social media platforms of allowing health misinformation to spread unchecked.
Dr Sarah Hodges, an obstetrician at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, told ABC News:
“Home births can be safe in carefully selected low risk cases. But when complications arise, delay in transferring to hospital can have devastating consequences. This tragedy highlights the dangers of rejecting medical advice in favour of misinformation.”
Advocacy groups for maternity safety have also called for stricter regulation of online health influencers.
For Nurse Blessing, the distinction is clear. Home births, she said, must never be about rejecting hospitals outright but about making informed choices and ensuring that only low risk pregnancies are handled at home with trained providers present.
The Newcastle Crown Court will begin proceedings on October 15, 2025, where Coxon faces the possibility of a significant prison sentence if convicted.
