, an induction may be necessary if your waters break but contractions haven't started, because of the risk of infection.Your midwife may use prostaglandin gel or pessary to induce you at first, which she'll insert in the vagina, near the womb, to soften

waters is the first sign of labour. It can be a gush or just a trickle, so even if you're not sure, ring your midwife or the labour ward as you'll need to be examined. Consultant obstetrician Dr Virginia Beckett, of the Royal College of Obstetricians

which are most comfortable.'You can call the Tommy's pregnancy information line on 0870 777 3060.Here's our guide to the best labour positions:Stand through the pain of early labour. Spending the first stage of labour upright is, for most women, the most

as much sensation or the urgency, you should feel enough to push out your baby.‘If a woman can't feel to push at first, we let the baby's head descend a long way down the birth canal with the aid of uterine contractions,' says Dr Maggie Blott, consultant