Charlotte police arrested two midwives for practicing without a license after a newborn following a home birth last week.

Authorities said 43year-old Mary Stewart Barhite and 45-year-old Jacqueline Lynn Proffit were assisting a mother deliver the baby when something went horribly wrong and the mother gave birth to an unresponsive infant.

When the unresponsive infant was taken to the nearby hospital, it died.

The two midwives were helping the mother deliver the baby underwater. Many believe that underwater births, where a woman delivers a baby in a warm pool of water, are less painful. But, experts warn that infants can breathe in the water and drown if something goes wrong at the time of birth.

Authorities said neither Barhite nor Proffit did have a license to practice midwifery in North Carolina.

It may be noted here that practicing without a license is an offense. According to state laws, midwives must be registered nurses who are supervised by doctors if there is any complication during the delivery.