Not knowing anything about who these people were prior to the birth made it impossible to root for them or even like them afterwards. Both characters were cold and unlikable. Martha was emotionless, which is a hard sell for a hormone infused woman who had just given birth. Given how connected the 2 characters were during the birth, it seemed unlikely that they would abandon each other so completely. The law suit was also implausible, no cause of death, no direct connection to the mid-wife's actions and the death made it seem unlikely that it would have even made it to trial.