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At 39 weeks, you’ve reached what’s officially considered a full-term pregnancy —and you’re probably more than ready to meet baby. But even with your due date around the corner, there’s really no telling when your little one will decide to make their grand entrance. Which is why many moms-to-be—eager to put pregnancy behind them—try to take things into their own hands and help move labor along. One tactic? Practicing certain exercises to induce labor.

But do they really work? They can, experts say, but only if your body is actually getting ready for labor. “The fact is that if a woman’s cervix isn’t ripe–meaning soft and ready for dilation—then no exercise in the world will induce her into labor,” says Kathy Fray , a midwife and maternity consultant in Auckland, New Zealand. In other words, if your body isn’t starting to gear up for labor on its own, doing squats and forward bends aren’t going to jumpstart contractions. “However, if your cervix is beautifully ripe and soft and stretchy, then exercises might tip you into commencing contractions,” she says. Read on to learn some exercises you can try out to help induce labor naturally—and which ones to avoid completely.

In this article: When is it safe to do exercises to induce labor? 6 exercises to induce labor Are there specific exercises to avoid altogether in late pregnancy? Who shouldn’t try exercises to naturally induce labor?

When Is It Safe to Do Exercises to Induce Labor?

While you may want baby to come (and stat!), you don’t want baby to come too soon. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the risk of adverse outcomes is lowest if baby is born between 39 and 41 weeks gestation.

It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor first before trying out any exercises to help induce labor. But generally speaking, unless you’re dealing with a complicated pregnancy, gentle exercise and breathing techniques shouldn’t create problems or send you into preterm labor if you try some moves out ahead of time. In fact, you may want to even test out some techniques while you’re experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions , says Jess Jennings , MS, founder of Ma Yoga for Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond in Los Angeles. “Your body is practicing,” she explains. “It’s a wonderful time for you to practice too.”

6 Exercises to Induce Labor

Some exercises may encourage labor to start, while others can help move early labor along once those initial contractions have started. Either way, “it’s about focusing on exercises that will calm your central nervous system,” says Melissa Green, a labor support doula and prenatal exercise specialist in New York City. “If you’re trying to induce labor, don’t elevate your heart rate or cause stress on the body. This can prevent labor, or even reverse it.” The reason: When your heart rate goes up, your body reacts with a fight-or-flight response. And to give birth, you obviously want openness in your pelvic area, not Spanx-like tightness.

In addition to finding a slow, rhythmic breath, start moving in a way that grounds you and the baby, Green adds. Exercises that relax the pelvic floor as well as open up the hips are ideal in helping move labor to the next phase.

It’s also good to simply move about, especially when you’re trying to coax early labor into the next phase. “Lying flat on the bed doesn’t help mild latent labor establish into strong active labor,” Fray says. “Women need to mobilize. Being upright increases the pressure of the fetal head on the cervix, making the contractions more effective.”

Ready to get moving? Here are six possible exercises to help induce labor.

Engaged Breathing

When you breathe normally, you generally contract the abdominals on the exhale—but if you’re trying to induce labor, you want to engage your core and diaphragm as you inhale through the nose, and “try to hug baby with your abdominal muscles,” Green says. Take a moment to hold your breath, then exhale slowly through the mouth. You should feel relaxed on the exhale, imagining baby pushing down. Practice breathing like this until you can feel the pelvic floor muscles relax. This style of breathing can be done on an exercise ball, in child’s pose and in a supported squat.

In Ayurveda (yoga’s sister science), this type of grounding breathing is associated with apana vayu , a life force that flows downward. “A long, full exhale brings our energy down out of your head into the lower body,” Jennings says. “It prepares the body for birth in so many ways.”