text: The birth of Alanna and Stephan Goetzinger's third daughter was meant to go like the previous two - an intimate family moment that took place in a wading pool their bedroom at home, lit by candles. Instead, the night turned to tragedy when the little girl Rana died either during birth or within minutes afterwards. A coroner found that the care given by the midwife who assisted at the birth in 2012 was 'grossly inadequate' and may have contributed to the death of the baby. But in a move many people would find extraordinary, the couple refuses to blame the midwife, and are in fact is defending her actions. Alanna and Stephen Goetzinger (pictured with their daughters Kayla, right, and Alice, left) lost their daughter during a stillbirth in 2012 and have spoken out against the coroner's report which blames their midwife . Coroner James McDougall said that the midwife failed to adequately prepare for the Rana's birth, allowed the delivery to take place in 'unsafe conditions', and that her failure to provide proper medical assistance may have caused the death of the Goeztinger's baby. Coroner McDougall found that Rana had died either 'during or shortly after birth' from meconium aspiration, a condition where a foetus inhales their faeces before birth, preventing them from breathing. The  report also found that the midwife, who handed in her resignation following the inquest, changed her statement about the events of the evening, including the time of the baby's birth and whether the baby had exhibited signs of life. Three years on, the couple, who live on a farm in Kanungra in south-east Queensland, have spoken about the night Rana was born, and what they claim was a tragic and unavoidable event. Alanna, 39, and Stephan, 57, are adamant that Rana was stillborn, and that it was very clear from the moment she was born that she had died before birth. 'We could see a problem as soon as she was born. It wasn't like I was holding her for a while and then we all of a sudden noticed. When she was lifted out of the water and put into my arms she was limp, there was no life in her little body,' Mrs Goetzinger, 39, told Daily Mail Australia. Alanna Goetzinger with her daughters Alice and Kayla while she was pregnant with Rana . Mrs Goetzinger said that her daughter Rana was stillborn, and that the coroner's report which claims she died 'during or shortly after birth' was fabricated . The report found that the midwife changed whether there were any signs of life, and also changed the time of Rana's birth from 11.40pm to 11.45pm to cover a seven minute delay in calling for emergency care at 11.47pm. 'On initial questioning, midwife M stated that she "was very surprised as things were going well and the baby had a heart rate at birth",' the report said. 'She then stated that "there was no heart rate and no signs of life after birth".' The report also concludes that the midwife allowed Mrs Goetzinger to give birth at home despite her being at greater risk for meconium aspiration, as a result of her age, the higher end weight of her previous pregnancies, and the fact that she had carried Rana for 41 weeks in utero. It states that the care the midwife provided 'fell significantly short' of what would be expected of someone of her experience, and that she had  failed to notice meconium in the water when Mrs Goetzinger's waters had broken as a result of the poor lighting provided by only having candles in the room. 'There were lights on in the other rooms, but I had chosen to have low lighting to calm me,' Mrs Goetzinger said. 'My midwife also did spot meconium when my waters broke but that was only moments before I actually gave birth. When she came out she was stained with it, which means she probably suffered from the asphyxia days before I gave birth.' Alanna and Stephan on their wedding day (left), and Alanna with two of the couple's daughters . Alanna and Stephan have defended their midwife against the findings of the coroner's inquest . 'We didn't sit around and make a cup of tea deciding whether to call the ambulance. As soon as Rana came out the midwife yelled to my husband to call them,' she said. The Goetzinger's travelled to the Gold Coast University Hospital in an ambulance, where Rana was pronounced dead and was taken away for an autopsy after doctors expressed concerns over the actions of the midwife and her sub-standard attempts at CPR. The couple said that their daughter was taken off them without their consent, and that they were both traumatised by the knowledge that she was being autopsied without permission. 'They just took her off us and chopped her up for autopsy. They never asked. It was horrific,' said Mr Goetzinger. 'The poor little thing didn't even get to breathe and they were cutting her open,' Mrs Goetzinger said. The couple said that Federal police officers showed up at their house in the hours following the birth and treated their home like a crime scene. They said were made to feel like criminals for choosing to have a home birth, and chastised for cleaning up the birthing room which had been wiped down following the birth. 'It was disgusting the way we were treated, like we'd intentionally murdered our baby,' Mrs Goetzinger said. When the results of the autopsy were returned to the family, Mrs Goetzinger said that she was appalled, and that neither she nor her husband were ever approached for questioning about the events of the night. Mrs Goetzinger said that she and her husband were made to feel like criminals for choosing a home birth . 'My only consolation is that I have my two beautiful daughters,' said Mrs Goetzinger . 'They didn’t once in three whole years contact us to ask for my opinion. They didn’t question me, they didn't tell me anything at all. You'd think if they really wanted the truth would they would have asked for my version of events,' Mrs Goetzinger said. 'Losing Rana was tragic and devastating and I was lost for weeks, and then for both us and our midwife to be treated like criminals was just too much,' she said. The midwife, who stepped down following the inquiry, was found to not have formal infant CPR training. She was cautioned by both the coroner and was reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, who launched an investigation into her conduct and concluded that the midwife failed to uphold healthcare standards of the profession. 'I feel like they needed to crucify someone, and they blamed the midwife. She is a beautiful person and did nothing wrong,' Mrs Goetzinger said. 'She lost her job over this which is just awful. She lost her livelihood for no good reason whatsoever, and apart from us losing our baby that is the most horrible thing that has come out of this,' she said. 'Nobody is to blame, it just happened. It was tragic and devastating but it just happened.' Mr Goetzinger said he wants an apology from the coroner for the claims in the report, and want to see their midwife's license reinstated without restriction. Mr Goetzinger said that people should have a free and informed choice about whether they choose to have home births . 'If I had millions of dollars I would sue them for fraudulent proceedings because the document is a fraud, it's full of contradictions,' Mrs Goetzinger said. 'They made my midwife out to be a complete villain. She is a registered nurse and has everything she needs to be a midwife and there is nothing more she could have done,' she said. 'My only consolation is that I have my two beautiful daughters, and I do feel Rana around me. She's the one who is pushing me to speak out and tell her story.' Mr Goetzinger said that people should have a free and informed choice about whether they choose to have home births. 'It is so nice to have child born at home, it’s so much better and familiar. People should make up their own mind without interference from the authorities,' he said. The couple are staunchly anti-vaccines, and believe in allowing parents to choose for themselves how their children's health should be managed.
target: Alanna and Stephen Goetzinger lost their daughter Rana when she was stillborn during a waterbirth at their home in 2012 .
  Rana was found to have died of meconium aspiration, a condition where a foetus inhales their faeces before birth, preventing them from breathing .
  A coroner's report found that their midwife failed to recognise signs of the meconium, changed the time of birth, and whether there was signs of life .
  She handed in her resignation at the end of 2014 after the report said her actions during the birth were 'grossly inadequate'
  The Goetzinger's have spoken out against the findings and claim that the midwife did nothing wrong and that the death could not have been stopped .
  The want an apology from the coroner's office who conducted an autopsy without their permission and the reinstatement of their midwife's licence .