Secondary postpartum haemorrhage is defined as any abnormal or excessive bleeding from the birth canal occurring between 24 hours and up to 12 weeks postpartum. The quantity of blood loss that constitutes secondary postpartum bleeding, unlike primary postpartum hemorrhage, is not clearly defined. Subjective estimation of the amount of blood loss constituting ‘haemorrhage’ accounts for at least some of the variation in reported incidence of secondary postpartum haemorrhage from 0.47% to 2%

The epidural route is currently the gold standard for labour analgesia, although it is not without serious consequences, especially when incorrect placement goes unrecognised. Intravascular, intrathecal and subdural placements have been reported to occur with incidences of 1 in 5000, 1 in 2900 and 1 in 4200 respectively. Until recent years there has not been a viable alternative to epidural analgesia.

Kielland's forceps have been in obstetric practice for over 80 years but their use causes a wide spectrum of reactions in obstetricians. Those that have been well tutored in their use argue that they are a very effective instrument to achieve vaginal delivery in the malpositioned fetus, avoiding the problems of full cervical dilation caesarean section, with low complications in their hands. These exponents of the instrument argue that the “art” of obstetrics is demonstrated in the use of Kielland's forceps. However, others claim that Kielland's forceps are dangerous with high complication rates and that they should be confined to the obstetric museum. This paper reviews the history of the instrument and its inventor, to consider evidence for its effectiveness and its safety, to briefly consider other methods for delivery of the malpositioned fetus at full cervical dilation and finally to complete the journey by considering the future with particular emphasis on training the new generation of obstetricians.

Congenital malformations are common, occurring in around 1 in 40 pregnancies. Analysis of data from European population-based congenital anomaly registers reported a malformation rate of 29.3 per 1000 births. Eighty percent of these were in live births whereas 17% were observed in fetuses terminated after ultrasound diagnosis of fetal abnormality. The remainder were stillborn or fetal deaths in utero. Fetal autopsy is still regarded as the gold standard procedure for identification of fetal abnormalities but assessment of the fetus by a clinical geneticist or other specialist with expertise in dysmorphology may also be informative. When coupled with other investigations which are non-invasive or involve only sampling of blood or other body fluids, examination for external malformations and dysmorphic features may complement autopsy findings or provide important information as to the causation of fetal abnormalities when autopsy is not possible. This situation is now becoming more common as rates of fetal autopsy have dropped significantly in the UK in recent years.