I was waiting in line at the airport today when a man’s smile caught my attention. He was a tall man probably in his 60’s and while the rest of us waited with blank stares on our faces, he stood there smiling in line with one of the most genuine smiles I’ve ever seen.
Why is he smiling? I thought. There doesn’t seem to be any reason. He’s just been looking around smiling for the past 15 minutes.
I was intrigued. And the more I watched him, the more I began to smile. It was contagious. He emitted so much joy and contentment that I couldn’t help but catch it.
And then I began to think, Wow, I should smile more. This feels so good. Why don’t I smile more often? This is awesome!
My husband noticed him too. As we boarded the plane, he asked, “Did you see that tall man smiling in line earlier?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “I was so inspired by him.”
We both agreed that we wanted to live more like this smiling, joy-filled man.
So as we soared through the air for the next hour, I consciously smiled. And you know what? It made the flight so enjoyable!
My 1-year-old had fallen asleep in my arms and though my arm was throbbing from holding him up, smiling helped me enjoy the experience. It caused me to remember how special this season is where I can still cuddle him in my arms. And deep feelings of gratitude rose up within me.
Instead of blankly staring out the window and zoning out, the simple act of smiling launched me into a state of peaceful contentment as I stared at the precious face of my little boy through the flight.
And as I sat there amazed at the power of smiling, I began to think of you, precious mom, and the effect it can have on your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time.
Smiling really has the power to transform your experience!
Ok, let’s try something right now.
However you’re feeling, I challenge you to start smiling.
Whether you’re feeling tired, sick, uncomfortable, stressed, or great, consciously smile right now.
Are you smiling?
Do you feel a little happier? A little more relaxed? I bet you do!
Keep it up throughout the day and you will start feeling happier; more grateful; more aware of the gift of this season; the gift of your child; and the goodness of God.
He meant for you to enjoy pregnancy, birth, and mommyhood! And your intentional smile will actually help launch you into that enjoyment.
Now let’s talk about labor.
Smiling can make such a difference during labor!!!!
Here’s why: Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together, these three hormones make you feel relaxed, happy, and even euphoric.
Smiling is a natural drug that God gave you!
As I researched it today after the flight, I learned that the release of these awesome hormones is actually triggered by the muscle movement in your face when you smile.
Faking a smile or laugh works as well as the real thing—the brain doesn’t differentiate between real or fake. It interprets the positioning of the facial muscles in the same way and releases the same hormones.
So the more you smile and stimulate your brain to release endorphins during labor, the happier, and more relaxed, euphoric, and comfortable you will feel.
I love that God made our bodies like that! He’s so amazing!
So do it! Smile throughout your labor. (Don’t feel pressure to smile during contractions because you actually want to relax your jaw as much as possible during contractions to help relax your cervix and pelvic floor muscles). But smile away during the breaks between contractions!
Those smiles can reduce pain, trigger feelings of joy, remind you to enjoy the journey, fill you with gratitude, and help you savor the beauty of birth.
I encourage you to start practicing now and get in the habit! Your pregnancy will be blessed, your baby will be blessed, and YOU will be blessed. And the habit you start now will carry easily into labor.
Plus, you never know who else will be blessed by your smile today. Little did that guy at the airport know that his smile might radically bless a bunch of birth stories around the world!
You never know the eternal impact your smile might make either.
And one last reason to smile today:
My Kingdom Birth Class is going on sale this week for our “Labor” Day Special!
It will be HALF-OFF from Sept 3rd-7th!
So check it out, spread the word to your friends, and prepare to have an amazing birth experience with Jesus! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this! I will send you an email once the sale starts.
Smiling as I think of you today,
Kierra