To induce a pregnancy medically you will usually first have a membrane sweep. This happens at 40 or 41 weeks of gestation.

This means that your midwife or doctor will perform a quick and usually painless procedure (though it can be quite uncomfortable) during an internal examination where they will sweep a finger around the cervix to separate it from the membranes around your baby. If it does hurt then this is a great chance before the big day to practice breathing through the pain.

This releases prostaglandin hormones which can bring on labour within 48 hours.