Um, so… what does it mean to dream you're pregnant?
At one time or another, we've all had one of those really realistic dreams - so vivid, in fact - that you wake up thinking it actually happened. From classic ones like flying, taking a tumble down the stairs, or 'waking up' to a giant spider on your pillow, some of you here will have also had slightly nicher subconscious visuals. Like dreaming about being pregnant, which is what we're here to talk about.
Obviously, there are a ton of factors that could play into your out-of-the-blue (or not?) pregnancy dreams, like stress levels, age, and relationship status. Plus, any other major event going on in your life (like whether you're trying for kids or trying to avoid them).
So, if you've recently woken up from a deep sleep where you've been with child, it's likely you'll have one question on your mind: What does it actually mean? We spoke to multiple dream experts to find out...
What does a pregnancy dream mean?
It all depends on what's happening in your real life, explains dream expert Lauri Loewenberg. "If you're not pregnant nor trying to get pregnant but dream that you are, it means something new is in the works," she says.
In other words, dreaming that you're going to have a baby often means you're growing in general. "To the dreaming mind, it represents 'a new life' for you," Loewenberg adds.
This could mean that a new part of your personality is making itself known or you might be in the mood to create something new — a new job, a new sense of confidence, or a sudden passion for painting. The bottom line is that you’re developing just as a baby would develop in le womb. Pretty straightforward when you think about it.
Why is the pregnancy dream so common?
"The reason certain dreams are so common is because they're caused by common issues or behaviours," explains Loewenberg. And because starting a new project or relationship happens a lot, the dream does too.
"The subconscious shows it to us in the form of a pregnancy so we will see it as something worthy of nurturing and focus," Loewenberg says, adding: "The subconscious is cool like that.”
What if you dream about a pregnancy test?
Dreaming that you're taking a pregnancy test quite literally means you're being tested, according to Loewenberg. "Most likely, your subconscious may be preparing you for a big responsibility you're about to take on. It wants you to consider if this new venture, idea, responsibility, or goal will be a 'positive' or 'negative' thing for you," she says.
Basically, a dream about any phase of pregnancy means a new side of you or a new part of your life is on the way. It's up to you—in your waking life—to figure out what that newness could be.
What if you dream of childbirth?
Dreaming of childbirth means you're about to start something new, particularly something connected to creativity. Stephanie Gailing, a wellness astrologist and author of The Complete Book of Dreams explains: "The dreamer may be processing their relationship with an idea or experience related to a creative project, and/or something new to which they are giving birth. There is a seed growing within, coming into form, and this may represent something that the dreamer is moving through in their life or wants to invite in."
To decipher what this dream means for you, Gailing suggests getting into a quiet meditative state, recapping it in your mind and seeing what messages come forth. "Our intuition is so strong when we trust it and give it the quiet it needs to be loud," she says. Once you have a better understanding of what the dream signifies, you can figure out what next steps you need to take.
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What if you dream that your friend is pregnant?
A dream in which your friend is pregnant might mean you're developing a new side of your personality similar to an aspect of theirs. Especially if it's a friend you don't talk to very often, Loewenberg notes. Or, dreaming a friend is pregnant could mean you feel something is unfinished either with them or just in general, as Ally Mead, a professional dream interpreter, told Huffington Post. So, if you have a random dream that your ex-bestie is with child, you might want to give them a call.
What if your pregnancy dream is scary?
"Many pregnancy dreams can be unpleasant," explains Dr. Deirdre Barrett, author of The Committee of Sleep and Pandemic Dreams. "For young women who are sexually active but not desiring children yet, negative dreams about pregnancy are common."
According to research by Dr. Tore Nielsen at the University of Montreal, pregnancy nightmares are more prevalent than positive pregnancy dreams in women who just gave birth or are already pregnant. "These kinds of dreams may reflect normal concerns, anxieties about childbirth, or sleep problems like insomnia," he says. "It's possible that dreams support an emotion regulation function, especially during periods of rapid transition."
So if you're having pregnancy nightmares, you might be working your way through a psychological process that makes you more emotionally prepared for childbirth. Which seems like a good thing, right?
What if you dream about having twins?
While dreaming about twins hasn't been studied much, Nielsen suggests a few possible meanings. "This could be a fear of having twins or point to the fact that you're concerned about your health more generally," he says. "Specific dream themes like twins will have individual meanings depending on the life experience of the dreamer."
So if you're a twin or there are twins in your family, this dream could be more common throughout your life. Even a fascination with twins could be the reason for dreaming about two buns in the oven.
What does it mean if you dream about being pregnant with a girl or a boy?
If the little bundle of joy you dreamt about is a girl, Gailing says that the meaning depends on your relationship with girls—how you feel about them and what a "girl" signifies for you. From an archetypal perspective, girls represent the feminine. "As such, perhaps what's being reflected in the dream is something related to creativity, or connected to seduction, receptivity, sociability, feminist power, etc.," she says.
Similarly, Gailing says dreaming about being pregnant with a boy will depend on how you feel about boys and what they signify to you. But again, if we look at the traditional archetypal meaning, boys represent the masculine. So having a dream that you are pregnant with a boy could be related to "the willpower to champion a cause, deep desires, asserting oneself, and/or fighting for what you want," Gailing says.
And in some cases, if the dreamer is indeed pregnant at the time and dreams about having a boy or girl, Gailing says they could literally be tuning into the baby’s gender. Pretty cool.
What does it mean if you dream about being pregnant and feeling the baby move?
"Movement may signify that the baby has moved to the next level in its cycle, that it's taking upon more autonomy and more agency," Gailing explains. That said, as with all dream interpretation, she notes that it's important to take in the context of the dream. How did you respond to the baby's movements in the dream? Were you excited? Curious? Scared about losing control? Noodle on that for a bit to learn what the baby's movements mean for you.
What does it mean if you dream about being pregnant and not wanting the baby?
It depends on whether you are pregnant at the time or not. If you are, Gailing says it can reflect complex feelings about the baby. Maybe there's ambivalence, fear, anxiety, or uncertainty lurking. In which case, she says it may be a good idea to seek help from a therapist who can help you process your feelings.
If you're not pregnant, the dream could be reflecting your feelings about a creative project or a transformative moment in your life. "For example, let's say our dreamer isn't confident in their creative abilities, is scared about putting their creations into the world, or they are working on a project, and are not sure of the timing of its release," Gailing says. If that meaning resonates with you, she suggests thinking of ways to bolster your confidence about the project such as talking to a trusted colleague about it.
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So, what do pregnancy dreams symbolise?
Most dreams aren't literal. Just because you dream that your boyfriend cheated on you doesn't suggest he did. Instead, it probably means you're feeling jealous or insecure about your relationship. The same goes for pregnancy dreams - but you shouldn't dismiss them entirely, either. Rather, "you should ask yourself what children mean to you," Barrett suggests. "Your association with the dream holds the key to its meaning. Look for symbols in your response."
If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, having a family of your own could produce anxiety. If you're one of 10 kids, having a large family of your own might feel natural. If you skip your period, dreaming about being pregnant could make you feel like a failure. It all comes down to what you've got going on in your life—and tying your dreams to subconscious feelings about your waking life.
Mat Auryn, author of Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick, and Meditation, suggests learning more about the symbolism of that baby bump. "Pregnancy is the process of creation of life which hasn't been fully birthed or manifested yet. This isn't necessarily a literal baby but can relate to a hope or fear that we have but aren't fully addressing or confronting," he says. Like Barrett and Nielsen, Auryn says to pay attention to how the pregnancy dream made you *feel* in the dream: scared, excited, confused, happy?
Next, Auryn suggests examining the other symbols in the dream, like any people, animals, and objects that showed up. And keep in mind that they might not always be literal. "I always look for wordplay, double meanings, and turn of phrases when trying to interpret dreams or psychic information," Auryn says.
Is it possible to interpret your pregnancy dreams?
If you're dreaming about pregnancy frequently, or just curious about the potential meaning of your dreams, Auryn advises keeping a dream journal. "I always recommend writing down every detail and emotion you can remember of your dream and then listing out every possible interpretation you can come up with in regards to what it symbolically means." You can keep a specific dream journal for this or just jot them down in your Notes app or on a piece of paper.
In an exercise he teaches in his book Psychic Witch, Auryn also suggests meditating and then "interviewing" the different characters and objects in the dream, asking them what they mean and paying attention to anything else that comes to mind—and of course, writing all that down too!
Finally, remember that dreams hold different meanings for different people based on their individual experiences. The main takeaway here is that you don't have to wake up in a panic the next time you spend your sleeping hours with a baby bump. Even if, yeah, it can be a bit jarring when you wake up. Sweet dreams!
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