• Question: What triggers labour?

    Asked by spacenut1982 to Christina, Jess on 28 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jess Bean

      Jess Bean answered on 28 Jun 2013:

      Labour is triggered by the release of a chemical called oxytocin. It is released by the woman’s pituitary gland in the brain when the baby is fully developed. Oxytocin is also what causes contractions.

    • Photo: Christina Pagel

      Christina Pagel answered on 28 Jun 2013:

      Jess is right… interestingly enough oxytocin is also the hormone you produce when you fall in love!
      Your body makes less oxytocin when it’s stressed so being stressed in labour can make it longer – this is why many women find that their labour slows down a bit when they first get to hospital to give birth…

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