It usually starts to work in one to two hours and the dose is adjusted by your doctor. Oxytocin is given intravenously (through a needle into your vein). It will start your contractions and help them get strong and regular. If you go to the bathroom and notice bloody, brown or red-tinged discharge, you might be experiencing whats known as bloody show.

Give you a medicine called oxytocin (brand name: Pitocin).

This method releases hormones that may make labor start for some women. This is called “sweeping the membranes” or “stripping the membranes.” It can feel uncomfortable and cause cramping or spotting.

Use a gloved finger to separate the amniotic sac from the wall of your uterus.

This is not painful, but you may feel fluid leak out when the amniotic sac is broken.

“Break your water” by making a small opening in the sac filled with amniotic fluid.

Use medicine or a special device to help your cervix get soft and open up.

There are several ways your doctor may induce labor, including the following: Many doctors will induce labor if a woman is two weeks past her due date.

This causes the baby’s heart rate to drop, and the baby can’t tolerate the stress of labor. Fetal distress happens when the baby doesn’t get enough oxygen. This is done to avoid complications (for example, a baby growing so large that he or she would be hard to deliver vaginally) or fetal distress. If you are past your due date, your doctor may begin checking to see if your cervix is getting soft and opening up.ĭepending on how you and your baby are doing, your doctor may recommend using certain medicines or other methods to induce (start) labor. It may even open up a little (also called dilation). Bleeding or spotting can happen anytime, from the time you get pregnant to right before you give birth.

Toward the end of pregnancy, the cervix (the opening to the uterus) gets soft. If you feel less movement, call your doctor.) (You should continue to feel your baby move throughout your pregnancy. Ultrasound can also be used to check your baby’s position and to see how much he or she is moving. In addition, your doctor may do an ultrasound to look at how much amniotic fluid is around your baby. Your doctor may use an electronic fetal monitor to check how your baby’s movements affect his or her heart rate. If your pregnancy lasts one week past your estimated due date, your doctor will probably begin checking your baby more closely.

Path to Improved Health What if my pregnancy goes past the due date?

Spotting close to due date