Many people tell of eating pineapples to get things going, eating hot curries, or having sex. Yet although these might inexplicably work for some, no-one can really know when labour will start. Labour is caused by hormonal changes within the woman's body, when Oxytocin is produced. Oxytocin starts contractions, and also triggers the release of endorphines, the bodys natural pain killer.

Signs of labour

• Braxton Hicks - practice contractions
• Having a show - a jelly-type mucous plug
• Upset stomach - a common thing in the early stages
• Nesting instinct - you want to clean everything.

It is also believed by some that labour is triggered by the baby sending signals to the woman's brain, that his lungs are mature enough to be born, which then causes her to release prostoglandins. These help get the cervix ready to start the dilation process.

Are you in labour? - discuss this and more in the forum.