Two midwives have faced court, charged over the death of a Melbourne mother hours after she gave birth in 2012.
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Already a mother of one, Caroline Lovell gave birth to a healthy baby girl in a pool in the living room at her Watsonia home in January that year.
After the birth she collapsed. She was taken to hospital and died later that day.
An inquest was held in 2016, and last week midwives Gaye Marion Demanuele, 59, and Melody Ballanda Bourne, 43, were charged with her negligent manslaughter.
It's alleged they negligently failed to provide adequate midwifery care to Ms Lovell.
Demanuele, of Preston, and Bourne, of Mullumbimby in northern NSW, are on bail. They faced Melbourne Magistrates Court by videolink on Friday.
Detective Senior Constable Luke Collyer said there were 29 witnesses involved in the case, including a number who were now interstate.
While a brief of evidence was prepared for the 2016 inquest into Ms Lovell's death, that needed to be updated for the criminal proceedings.
It's expected to take two months to prepare the document.
The women will return to court for a committal mention on November 23.
Australian Associated Press