Most everyone dreams every night–whether we remember them or not is another thing entirely. Dreams of pregnant women are their own entities; jam-packed with emotion and lots of recall, they entertain us, they startle us, and they evoke strong emotion and even stronger calls to action that flavor the pregnancy experience with even more interest.
Breathe easy, Mama-to-be.
Remember that dreams have little bearing on your reality. And more importantly, they won’t alter your life course. It may be that your feelings about motherhood are coming to light. Your feelings–ambivalence, fear, and excitement–stimulate the mind in weird ways. However, the only way to work these out is through your dream process.
Negative feelings are not an indicator that you don’t want to participate in the wild ride called motherhood. In fact, you may just have some unresolved issues around it that need to be brought to light.
Dreams can be a great way to process feelings with your partner. Getting disturbing images and fears out in the open is a good way to learn more about yourself and prepare for the exciting birth of your precious little one! Be open to interpret dreams that you are having, and you’ll learn things about yourself that are surprising and validating.
Pregnant Women Share Common Dream Themes
Many pregnant women report similar dreams–animals, unusual scenarios, and feats of superhuman strength are common themes as women open up. They often share these nighttime musings with spouses and psychologists in hopes of finding deeper meaning.
It is not easy to interpret dreams, but it is a very insightful process once things reveal themselves to you. Below are some common scenarios that pregnant women have, and their “standard” meaning according to psychologists. Get ready for some entertaining stories, and the information that they reveal about you and your journey toward motherhood.
Here are the Dreams Most Pregnant Women Have
1 – Giving birth to animals
For many first time mothers, the closest they have come to motherhood so far is taking care of a pet. Caring for a puppy or kitten is child’s play compared to taking care of a child; giving birth to an animal is a sort of practice for giving birth to a human. Don’t be too alarmed by the size, shape, or even condition of the animal. So what if it has a human head that is carrying on a conversation with you? Keep in mind that there is a deeper meaning behind all of this.
Meaning:
This is your way of rehearsing for the birth of your human child, but on a more manageable level. Your dream may speak to your underlying fear of taking care of someone who is completely dependent on you; this is scary business! As your pregnancy moves along, you may find these animals growing larger and taking on human qualities, which is your assurance that it will soon be a reality for you. Innocent bunnies may morph into talking alpacas; take it in stride and try to be entertained by your fears rather than overcome by them. You’ll soon experience joy beyond measure as you hold your child in your arms.
2 – Giving birth to an alien
While it may be very disconcerting, the dream of giving birth to an intimidating alien life form is actually quite common. Pregnancy can feel like there is an “alien” being taking over your body; you may not recognize some of your own feelings as you experience gas, bloating, cankles, and kicks at all times of day or night. Even the sonogram image looks a little bit alien-ish. However, don’t be too frightened if you don’t recognize your little one in your dream. Take the deeper meaning behind it as a lesson for you.
Meaning:
Feelings of hostility and fear are a normal part of the early pregnancy process. Deep down, it may seem unreal to you that you are actually pregnant, and this is significant with the arrival of the alien life form growing inside of you. This alien feeling of being pregnant will soon pass, and you’ll find yourself anticipating Junior’s arrival with excitement soon enough.
3 – Taking baby out…..and then putting the baby back!
What? Where did this crazy dream come from? You take the baby out for a thorough inspection, play with him or her a bit, then put him back inside before resuming your regular dream activity. Aren’t you happy to see him? Why would you do such a thing?
Meaning:
Every mom worries about the health and well being of their baby. It is a common desire for a mother to want to check on their child to see if development is going as expected, and to want things to continue on that course until delivery. You are likely “checking” on baby, and as soon as you see things are progressing, you can tuck baby back in for a bit to finish the process while you prepare for arrival.
4 – Swimming, standing in, or even drowning in the ocean
Pregnant women have dreams of water almost the entire nine months of pregnancy. The water can take many forms during these visions. It is important to note how you feel during these dreamy interactions with your baby, for they will point to how you feel about motherhood and raising a child in general.
Meaning:
Swimming could mean that you’re trying to empathize with and connect to baby. However, it is also symbolic of nature’s process of reproduction, of which you are a very active part right now. If you feel like you are drowning, it could be because you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do, and you don’t see how you will fit this new role that is being thrust upon you. These are normal feelings, and they will pass as you step up to take part in your new role with every maternal instinct available to you.
5 – A cheating spouse
It is not uncommon for pregnant women to have dreams that their spouses are cheating on them. These trysts could be with people you know, or they could be unwelcome strangers that invade your psyche when you are most vulnerable at night. Cheating can take the form of a casual kiss, or it can be much racier, depending on your level of intimacy at this time.
Meaning: Cheating in your dreams means that you feel vulnerable and insecure. You might not feel attractive anymore, and you might wonder if your husband is looking at other women during a time that you feel less than desirable. Talk to your partner about your concerns, and have them reassure you that while your normal level of activity might not be where you want it to be, this phase of life is short-lived, and you will feel more like yourself shortly after labor and delivery.
Sure, things will change around your house, but you two can still carve out time together and prioritize your relationship to make the two of you stronger together.
6 – Re-appearing ex-lovers
You have hormones raging in overdrive right now, and your desire for all things sensual may translate to seeing ex-lovers in your dreams. Don’t run from this, see it for what it is. You’ll soon realize that this is part of the process of your body adjusting to a flood of hormones that are going through your system right now.
Meaning:
You may feel trapped in your new role and wary of new responsibilities that are coming your way. You might be tempted—-in your dreams at least—to go back to simpler times and feel freedom in relationships once more. To interpret dreams, we must realize that all of these potentially negative situations can be used to process difficult feelings, and acknowledging them to move past them is necessary for you to grow.
7 – Forgetting where baby is!
Nothing is more heart-stopping than the feeling of losing track of one of your children. In dreamland, this is no exception. Pregnant women everywhere cite experiences of having dreams where the baby is somehow lost or harmed in some way.
Dropping the baby, losing track of his whereabouts, and even instances where the baby is taken from you can leave you waking in a cold sweat, wondering what type of mother you will ultimately be.
Forgetfulness is another side effect of pregnancy, and unfortunately, it can stick with us for a while after labor and delivery.
Meaning:
When we interpret dreams like this, we must realize that this is our body’s way of trying to communicate to us that we have fears and anxieties about the responsibilities of parenting. Being a parent is a HUGE responsibility, with lots of moments that will leave us wondering if we are doing it right. The reality is that we will all make mistakes, but we learn as we go, knowing that it is one of the most important jobs in the world.
8 – Teeth falling out
Oh no! You already feel unattractive at times, and unsure of your desirability as a partner. When you add missing teeth to the mix, it can really be cause for anxiety! Many pregnant women cite dreams containing situations where one or more teeth are missing, and many have a difficult time processing what this means.
Meaning:
Missing or crumbling teeth is a sign to you that you feel that things are not within your control. You may be stressed about how your pregnancy and birth will impact future life events–talking about this is key to dissipating some of that anxiety and stress around your impending delivery and all that comes after. Of course, it can’t hurt to brush those teeth, too!
Final Thoughts: Understanding the Dreams Pregnant Women Have Can Prepare You for Motherhood
Depending on the frequency and “strength” of your dreams, you can either view them as entertaining episodes in the saga that is your pregnancy, or you can discuss them with a friend, partner, or even a licensed therapist to consider working out your emotions as you interpret dreams that are occurring at this time. It’s actually enlightening when we interpret dreams, for it gives us an opportunity to evolve and become our best selves through the wisdom and lessons that our own psyche is trying to teach us. Get ready for this wild ride, and enjoy it!
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