I assisted at and observed many other complicated births: placental abruption; a ruptured uterus (with a mild continuing pain at her old incision site before the onset of labor as the only indication); a transverse presentation which I palpated in the mother during labor; shoulder dystocia; a baby with a posterior nuchal arm who almost died because it was caught on the perinium of a multip (so much for the theory that episiotomies are unnecessary because babies NEVER get hung up on soft tissue