My brother was blue when he came out. The cord was strangeling him. The doctor had to quickly notice the hue, pull him, hard- which really hurt my mother and pissed off my father, and cut the cord. If he hadn't, it is possible my brother would have been retarded by the time he advanced enough that it was obvious the cord was around his neck. My father said he had no idea what was going on and that the top of my brother's head looked fine to him. Only later did he realize how dangerous the situation was.

Just saying, I wonder if a midwife or the neighbor would have had the experience neccesary to detect the hue was a little off, and that a painful procedure, litteraly ripping my brother out of my mother, would need to be done to save his life or health.

I would consider this. If you have bleeding, tearing, or problems with the child, you may not have time to go to the hospital or wait for an ambulance.

Stay safe.