A 31-year-old Washington state woman could face criminal charges after giving birth to a baby girl in a bathtub and having a friend cut the umbilical cord after viewing a YouTube video on child birth.

Sergeant Ray Brady said a midwife had previously told the woman she would not assist her with a home birth because she had tested positive for drugs and the child may need immediate care from a physician when it was born.

Instead, the woman gave birth at home in her bathtub and had a friend assist her, cutting the umbilical cord after finding a YouTube video describing the procedure.

Doctors determined that the procedure was done 12 to 18 hours after the child was born. Brady said the friend is a certified nursing assistant but has no training or experience in child birth.

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Helen Gilbert places flowers on her brother Eurie Martin’s grave at Camp Spring Baptist Church in Sandersville. Her brother died eight years ago. Three former Washington County deputies are accused of causing his death and are set to stand trial Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez