Feeling like you've been streaming some pretty strange Netflix shows while you're sleeping these days? Something's definitely on your mind, and it's making you dream very vividly.
Even if you're normally the type who doesn't remember your dreams when you wake up, you may suddenly find you're elbowing your partner in the middle of the night to recount the details of your latest wacky dream. Or you might find yourself drifting off in the middle of important meetings into daydreams about chubby cheeks.
Your dreams and daydreams may be so richly detailed that you may wake from them wondering, was that really a dream? While they may make you feel like you're losing your mind, pregnancy dreams are healthy and normal, and they may even help you stay sane.
When do pregnancy dreams start?
Of course it's possible to have pregnancy dreams at any point during pregnancy, and plenty of women report strange dreams early on. That said, many moms find pregnancy dreams and daydreams peak during the third trimester as sleep is more disrupted and they increasingly find themselves imagining what life with a new baby will be like.
What causes pregnancy dreams?
It's easy to blame hormones for your wildest pregnancy dreams and daydreams, and they almost certainly contribute to your dream frequency and intensity. But there are other theories, too.
First of all, you've got a ton on your mind these days — and dreams are one way your subconscious works through it all and comes to terms with the impending changes in your life.
They can also be an outlet for the many conflicting emotions — ambivalence, trepidation, anxiety, excitement, joy — you're feeling about becoming a mother but may be uneasy expressing any other way. Think of it as therapy you can sleep through.
Of course, there's another reason — a much more basic one — why you feel like you're dreaming more than ever before: You're waking up more often than you used to during the night (probably every two or three hours), either to use the bathroom or just to try to get comfortable.
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And since each time you wake up may be right in the middle of a dream cycle, you can recall in great detail and color just what was going on in that mind of yours.
What do pregnancy dreams mean?
Here are a few of the most common pregnancy dreams. While there's no scientific evidence to support their meaning, there is plenty of speculation:
- Oops! dreams. Forgetting to feed the baby, lock the front door or turn off the stove may relate to a very common fear that you’re not ready to be a parent.
- Ouch or falling dreams. Being attacked by animals or intruders, or suddenly taking a fall may signify a feeling of vulnerability.
- Help! dreams. Being unable to escape a small space, like a car or a closet, might represent a fear of being tied down or losing your freedom as a new mom.
- Oh no! dreams. Dreams about overeating, eating the wrong things or not gaining enough weight may occur if you’re trying to stick to a diet.
- Ugh! dreams. Your partner taking up with someone else or not being attracted to you anymore may reveal a fear of how pregnancy might change your looks or appeal.
- Memory dreams. Picturing lost parents or grandparents might be your mind’s way of linking old to new generations.
- Life with baby dreams. Cuddling, kissing and caring for your baby may be a way to practice parenting and bonding with your baby before you deliver.
- Imagining baby dreams. Dreams of what your baby will be like might reveal a wide variety of feelings. Dreams about the baby getting sick or having a deformity may indicate anxieties that just about every parent harbors deep-down inside. Fantasies about your baby having unusual skills may indicate concern about baby's intelligence or ambitions for the future. Premonitions that your baby's a boy or a girl might mean your heart's set on one or the other or that you're just wondering what you'll be having if you haven't found out the sex.
- Labor dreams. Labor pain, or lack of it, may reveal anxieties about giving birth — and who doesn't have those?
What do sex dreams during pregnancy mean?
Dreams about sex can run the X-rated gamut during pregnancy and may express everything from lust you've been repressing and fantasies you've been closeting to guilt and ambivalence you've been feeling about sex.
Why am I having more sex dreams now that I'm pregnant?
It's those hormones talking. Just as they can while you’re conscious, they can trigger sexual arousal or thoughts about sex while you sleep or even daydream.
What kind of sex dreams are common during pregnancy?
There's no normal way to dream about sex during pregnancy. You might fantasize about sex with your partner, an old fling or your celebrity crush. Dreams can involve plain old vanilla sex or wilder S&M-style fantasies you may (or may not have) dreamed up in the past.
As long as your doctor has given you the okay, sex during pregnancy — even some role-playing and bondage — is safe and actually good for you, so go ahead and act on your urges when you wake up!
What can you do about pregnancy dreams?
Don't lose any sleep over your dreams and fantasies. They're completely normal and extremely common among expecting moms. Even the most nightmarish dreams can be a positive sign that your subconscious is trying to regain some control during a time of big change.
Vivid dreams are also completely normal and common among pregnant women's partners. They're your partner's way of working out his or her own set of subconscious anxieties, even though pregnancy hormones aren't to blame! So swap tales of your dreams with your partner, if you have one. It can be fun as well as therapeutic — plus it might even help bring you closer together.
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