Induction explained
- Team Naked Doula
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
Updated: May 8
Induction: what actually happens
If you’re facing an induction, or trying to decide whether it’s right for you, this is here to help you understand the process. Not to scare you. Just so you know what’s is happening. Because the consent process around induction is often not what it should be. A leaflet, a ten-minute chat, a casual mention of booking you in “just in case”, sometimes weeks before your due date. That gets in your head. You deserve more than that.
And if you’re arriving here having hoped for something different like a labour that started on its own, a birth that went another way then you’re allowed to feel that. You can be making a clear, considered decision about induction and still be grieving the version that didn’t happen. Both things are true at once.
The BMJ (British Medical Journal) now reports that half of all pregnancies in the UK involve some form of medical intervention, a caesarean or an induction. You are not alone in this.
The short version
Induction isn’t one thing, it’s a sequence of stages, each one building on the last. It starts with getting your cervix ready, moves through breaking your waters, and if needed, ends with a hormone drip to bring on contractions. At every stage, your consent matters and your choices are still yours.
Stage 1 - Ripening your cervix
The first thing most people aren’t told: the early stages of induction aren’t about starting labour. They’re about getting your cervix ready for it.
Before anything is given, you’ll have a vaginal examination to see where your cervix is at. The language used here, “favourable,” “scoring”, is outdated and can make you feel like your body is getting it wrong. It isn’t. Your body doesn’t know an induction is planned. If your cervix is completely closed, that’s exactly where it thinks it should be.
You’ll usually be given one of two things:
A propess - similar to a tampon, inserted vaginally just behind the cervix
A prostin - a tablet, inserted in the same place
Both work to soften and open the cervix over time. Some people go into labour from this stage alone but that’s not typical. More often there’s waiting, more examinations, more time.
If a standard induction isn’t suitable for you, usually because of a previous caesarean or uterine surgery, a mechanical induction may be offered instead. This uses a foley catheter: a small balloon inserted into the cervix that gently encourages it to open physically.
Stage 2 - Breaking your waters
Once your cervix has opened enough, the next step is breaking your waters. What catches a lot of people off guard: if the labour ward is busy, this gets paused until there’s capacity. It’s a safety call. Completely understandable, and also really hard when you’ve come this far.
After your waters go, you’ll usually get a few hours to see if labour picks up on its own.
This is worth saying clearly: being mid-induction doesn’t mean your choices are gone. Interventions already started do not remove your right to pause, ask questions, or change your mind. It is still your body. It is still your birth. Use BRAIN - a simple framework for navigating decisions at any point in your care.
Stage 3 - The oxytocin drip
If things don’t move after your waters break, you’ll be offered an oxytocin drip, a synthetic hormone that brings on contractions.
A few things to know going in:
You’ll be monitored continuously with a CTG (cardiotocograph) , a machine that tracks your baby’s heartbeat and your contractions. It limits mobility, so ask early about your options for moving around
Contractions from the drip tend to feel more intense than in a spontaneous labour so ask about pain relief before you need it
If an epidural is offered or you’re considering one, it can increase the chance of an instrumental birth - that’s forceps or ventouse. Worth knowing, not a reason to rule it out.
The thing to hold onto
Every stage of induction carries its own risks and its own potential for further intervention. That’s not a reason to say no, it’s a reason to stay informed and keep asking. You don’t have to move at the speed of the ward. And everything you’ve prepared still matters. Your environment, your birth partner, your oxytocin, none of it stops being relevant because you’re being induced. The things that help you feel safe, calm, present, bring them.
Your birth is still yours.
Source: BMJ, 2024. Half of pregnancies in the UK now involve medical intervention.
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