Mom

Officially, a birth occurring between week 37 and week 42 is normal. There are several situations in which it is better to no longer wait until the delivery announces itself and choose to start the delivery artificially, i.e. to induce labor.
For example, your water has broken, but there are no contractions yet. If your water broke more than 24 hours ago, the risk of infection increases, which can be dangerous. It is then usually recommended to induce labor.
There can also be reduced functioning of the placenta, a growth delay of your baby, high blood pressure or medical complications, all reasons why you may be advised to induce labor.

Baby

Have you ever wondered what your baby notices about the delivery? Actually, nothing at all during the first hours. Your child can then still be sleeping peacefully. Only when the delivery is nearing and contractions are getting stronger, your child has less freedom of movement and he or she wakes up.

For your child, the push contractions are the least pleasant part, but a healthy baby can handle them just fine. The head is pushed down with the chin on the chest and he or she makes an internal spindle turn. The heart beats faster or slower due to the pressure on the head. During the contraction the heart often beats slower, because the blood flow via the placenta is temporarily reduced.

The baby is now not growing much anymore and will remain the size of a watermelon.