A medically unlicensed Georgia woman has been found guilty on multiple counts after acting as a midwife for multiple women, including a mother who nearly died during a home birth.
Cynthia “Cindy” Rene Morrow was found guilty on Wednesday, November 4, of nine counts, seven of which arose from medical procedures she didn’t have the legal authority to perform during the near-fatal 2022 home birth, according to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.
The seven charges include practicing medicine without a license, practicing nursing without a license, two counts of unlawful practice of midwifery, two counts of reckless conduct, and one count of possession of a dangerous drug, Pitocin, the district attorney’s office said in a Friday, November 6, news release.
While the trial primarily centered on the events that transpired during a home birth at a Woodstock residence in 2022, jurors also heard testimony from two other women and their families who shared similar childbirth experiences as clients of Morrow’s midwifery business, Birth Servant Midwifery LLC.
One of the women also nearly died, while the other woman’s experience resulted in her baby’s death, according to prosecutors.
During the trial, evidence presented from the 2022 home birth at a Woodstock residence showed Morrow performed several medical procedures “which she was not licensed or authorized to perform under Georgia law” when the woman was in labor and after birth, the district attorney’s office said.
The procedures included Morrow giving the woman a Pitocin injection, which is used to induce labor by stimulating uterine contractions, as well as intravenous fluids and inserting a catheter, according to prosecutors.
The woman lost a significant amount of blood after delivering her baby, the district attorney’s office said.
“Despite her worsening condition, Morrow never told the woman’s family that she was experiencing a medical emergency and advised a non-emergency medical transport when she ultimately called 911,” the office said in its news release
When Morrow did call 911, prosecutors said the mother was throwing up, lost consciousness and had gone into hypovolemic shock, which occurs when someone loses more than 20 percent of their blood, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
She ultimately ended up losing around 50 percent of her blood, prosecutors said.
First responders transported the woman to the hospital where she was treated for her postpartum hemorrhage and had an elevated heart rate of around 139 beats per minute, according to the district attorney’s office.
“At the hospital, physicians administered medication to control bleeding, provided multiple blood transfusions, and performed emergency surgery,” the district attorney’s office said.
Medical experts testified that if they had assisted with the woman’s labor and delivery, they would’ve sent her to a hospital five hours earlier than when she was transferred to the facility for emergency care.
The testimony of Morrow’s two other former clients “provided additional evidence for the jury to consider regarding Morrow’s practices and conduct,” the district attorney’s office said.
Jurors found Morrow guilty of all charges following three hours of deliberation, according to prosecutors.
Morrow is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, November 10, according to the district attorney’s office.
