Nuchal Cords (cord around the neck) in Childbirth.

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ANYONE WHO PLANS TO HAVE CHILDREN should read this! It will likely allieviate one of your (many?) fears about childbirth.
The nuchal cord (cord around the baby's neck) is a natural and common occurance during birth.

http://midwifethinking.com/2010/07/29/nuchal-cords/

A story:

My daughter's cord was NOT wrapped around her neck.... It was floating loosely at her shoulders. As she was being born, we experienced a condition known as Shoulder Dystocia (basically, her shoulders got stuck behind my pelvis bone) the cord was compressed between her shoulders and my pelvic bone. Once her shoulders were free, her cord was cut and clamped immediately, and she was taken to be resuscitated.
SHE DIED.

My son was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. He also had Shoulder Dystocia. I flipped to my hands and knees, and my midwife performed a maneuver in which she pulled one shoulder forward and pushed the other shoulder back, thus shortening the width of his shoulders. As he was born, I flipped back to my back, and he was placed on my chest, where I rubbed his back to stimulate his breathing. His cord was cut once the blood flow from the placenta ceased.
HE LIVED.