In reply to andie.

Yes, and I'm glad you asked.

I am not a health professional, I'm an architect, so I am learning these things as I go. Yes, the forceps are simply to clamp the umbilical cord as they do all the cutting and tying. When I originally wrote this post over a year ago, I didn't realize there was a different gizmo with the same name that you can use to clamp a baby's head and haul it out, and it has been linked to all sorts of medical disasters. This misunderstanding caused a big stink when we started our search for someone to sponsor the project, and the ensuing arguments about what is "good" and "bad" equipment for a midwife's kit scared off some potential donors. I am definitely not qualified to give a medical opinion either way; I am just following the wishes of the local doctor, who is doing advanced studies right now in OB/GYN and designed the kit.