Inducing labor at 40 weeks

Inducing labor refers to different treatments used to start your labor. Treatments can also be used to augment your labor, which means to move it at a faster pace. The goal is to bring on contractions or to make them stronger.

Several methods can help get labor started.

Amniotic fluid is the water that surrounds your baby in your womb.

It contains membranes or layers of tissue. One method of inducing labor is to "break the bag of waters" or rupture the membranes.

• Your health care provider will do a pelvic exam and will guide a small plastic probe with a hook on the end through your cervix to create a hole in the membrane.

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This does not hurt you or your baby.

• Your cervix must already be dilated and the baby's head must have dropped down into your pelvis.

Most of the time, contractions will begin within minutes to a few hours afterward.

If labor does not begin after a few hours, you may receive a medicine through your veins to help start contractions. This is because the longer it takes for labor to start, the greater your chance of getting an infection.