Laughter Is Medicine and How Smiling and Silliness Can Support the Opening of the Birth Path
Written by Elizabeth Alleva, HypnoBirthing Mommy
Elizabeth Alleva is the founder of HypnoBirthing Mommy, dedicated to empowering women during pregnancy and childbirth. With a focus on personalized support, she helps expectant mothers embrace their inner strength and navigate their birthing journeys with confidence.
We’ve all heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine.” It turns out that when it comes to labor and birth, that might be more than just a sweet sentiment. Laughter doesn’t just lift spirits, it can help ease the body into the delicate dance of labor by softening the jaw, relaxing the facial muscles, and supporting the birth path's release and opening.
The jaw-pelvis connection
If you’ve ever noticed that clenching your jaw makes your shoulders rise and your body tense, you’re not alone. Our bodies are brilliantly interconnected, and one of the most intriguing connections is between the jaw and the pelvis. Midwives and birth professionals have long observed that a soft jaw often corresponds to a smooth, yielding pelvis.
In labor, especially during the thinning and opening (effacement and dilation) phase, the body needs to yield, to surrender. But surrendering isn’t always easy. We often meet intensity with tension. And where does that tension like to land? The jaw, the brow, the shoulders, all the places we grip when we’re trying to stay in control.
Enter: Laughter
Laughter disrupts that tension pattern. A spontaneous giggle, a goofy moment with a birth partner, or even a well-timed meme can do more than lighten the mood, it physically unlocks the face. It releases tightness in the jaw and invites the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest-and-digest mode) to the forefront, nudging the body into a more relaxed, birth-supportive state.
In fact, during HypnoBirthing and other childbirth education methods focused on comfort and relaxation, we often teach that a loose, open jaw can lead to a loose, open cervix. When we laugh, our mouths open, our breath deepens, and the body gets a message: it’s safe to let go.
Silliness in the birth space? Yes, please
Inviting humor into the birth room may sound counterintuitive, especially when we tend to picture labor as a focused affair. But many birthing people find that laughter in early labor, or even as labor progresses, helps them cope, feel human, and reconnect to their strength.
Here are a few ways to gently invite laughter and lightness during labor:
Bring a birth partner with a great sense of humor: Someone who knows when to crack a joke and when to hold space is worth their weight in gold.
Pack something silly: A small stuffed animal, a goofy photo, or a sticker that makes you smile can offer comic relief when needed.
Practice face and jaw relaxation techniques: Exaggerated sighs, horse lips (vibrating your lips while breathing), or making funny vowel sounds can help release tension and usually spark a laugh.
The power of permission
More than anything, this is about permission to smile during birth, be playful, and flow through labor. When we grant ourselves that permission, we’re more likely to meet our surges with softness, to let go of the clenched jaw, and to allow the body to do what it was built to do.
Because laughter is not a distraction from labor, it’s an invitation to go deeper into it with trust, softness, and joy.
Read more from Elizabeth Alleva
Elizabeth Alleva, HypnoBirthing Mommy
Elizabeth Alleva is the founder of HypnoBirthing Mommy, dedicated to empowering women during pregnancy and childbirth. With a passion for supporting expectant mothers, Elizabeth provides personalized guidance to help them embrace their inner strength and navigate their birthing journeys with confidence and grace. Committed to creating a nurturing environment, she helps families achieve positive and empowering birth experiences.
