Sharon, yes yes! Got! Since you already started having regular contractions, you can assume that labour has already started for you. but for first time moms, labour can start and stop (stress, anxiety can all cause this) or even stall for a couple of days before resuming. Or else, even with regular contractions, early labour/latent stage of labour can take up to 18 hours! So what some doctors do, if the mom is agreeable, nad if the doctors believe there is no medical reason not to do it, is to augment the contractions by chemicals, or else, to "sweep the membranes" when VE is done to encourage labour to progress, or else, there are things which you can do to encourage labour to progress quicker like, climb stairs, keep walking, lean forward when you sit down with your pelvic floor wide open (erm, like sit on the floor, but soles of both feet touching each other).