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False Midwives Convicted Again

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By ANTHONY CORMIER

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

BRADENTON - For the second time, two women were convicted Friday of acting as unlicensed midwives during a fatal home birth in 2004.

Linda and Tanya McGlade, members of a deeply religious family who had performed other home births, now face up to five years in prison.

After deliberating about an hour, the jury returned its verdicts: Linda, 57, was convicted of being a principal to unlicensed midwifery; Tanya, her 29-year-old daughter-in-law, was found guilty of attempting unlicensed midwifery. They will be sentenced Oct. 27; both declined to comment after the verdict.

The women are the first in Florida to face charges of unlicensed midwifery. They were convicted of the charge in 2006 and sentenced to prison. That conviction was overturned earlier this year by an appeals court, which granted them a new trial.

A defense attorney, Colleen Glenn, vowed to appeal this verdict as well.

According to testimony in court:

The case began early Dec. 8, 2004, when Mara McGlade, 25, was ready to give birth.

She was having contractions and about 1 a.m., a group of at least seven friends, including Linda and Tanya, came over.

Mara's sister-in-law, Tanya, brought a plastic supply kit the size of a toolbox.

Inside was: A crochet needle, in case the water did not break; tinctures, or herbs, in case Mara lost blood; a chuck pad, to examine the placenta; gloves; scrubs; and olive oil.

When Tanya determined the delivery wasn't imminent, some of the women left.

The contractions got worse. Tanya told Mara to get on all fours, a new technique she had seen in a book.

The contractions continued, and Mara shifted to her back. Linda and Tanya, in scrubs, told Mara to push. The baby crowned and his shoulders became stuck, but Tanya pulled him out.

Gabriel was healthy. His mother was not. The new mother bled heavily. Mara had had complications before. During the 2003 home birth of her daughter, Hope, Mara was hospitalized overnight. Still, she and her husband, Keith McGlade, wanted to have Gabriel at home, surrounded by friends.

"It was our decision," Keith said.

But the morning after the birth, Mara's condition worsened. The placenta was not emerging.

Mara was pale, almost blue or gray. Her body beaded with sweat. She was cold. She lay on the bed covered by four blankets. Tanya looked at a medical book. She tugged at the umbilical cord to free the placenta. Finally, after 20 minutes, it came out. Still, Mara struggled.

Jessica Case, a family friend, was ordered to go buy anything with iron in it - molasses, raisins, vitamins - to help with the blood loss.

Meanwhile, the women put Gatorade in a hot water bottle. Tubing from the water bottle was affixed as an enema.

Case returned from the store. Tanya read the Bible. Keith rubbed Mara's face. Mara, authorities later said, took only four breaths per minute.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. The breaths ceased.

"Someone call for help," Keith said.

That morning, as police and paramedics arrived at Keith and Tanya's home on 14th Street West, there was blood on the sheets, the floor, and on Linda and Tanya's scrubs.

A Bradenton detective, Greg Price, looked around. He asked Linda if there were a doctor or nurse present. Linda said no.

"Well who is the midwife then?" Price asked.

Linda, the detective said, pointed to Tanya.

"Are you the midwife?" Price asked her.

"I am not," Tanya said. "Who told you I was a midwife?"

Mara died, an autopsy showed, of internal bleeding.

Five months later, Linda and Tanya were arrested.

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