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Sleep Through the Three Trimesters

Your Dreams During Pregnancy

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Why am I dreaming more now I'm pregnant?

Everyone dreams every night when they sleep. You won't be dreaming any more than normal, but when you are pregnant you tend to remember your dreams better than before. Your pregnancy dreams can also appear to be a lot more vivid and they are often a result of the physical and emotional changes going on in your body.

Experts think that your dreams are nature's way of preparing you for the journey ahead. Dreams may also help you to visualise your unborn baby and help get you ready for motherhood.

When you are pregnant you often have quite disturbed sleep. You may find it hard to get into a comfortable sleeping position as your bump grows, and you will wake up needing the toilet more often. When you keep waking up you are having lighter sleep and so you are more likely to remember your dreams.

What are my pregnancy dreams telling me?

Be careful not to over-analyse or read too much into your dreams. Dreams tend to reflect your emotions during pregnancy so they could be happy, funny dreams but equally you may have scary or disturbing dreams if you are feeling a bit anxious about something.

There does seem to be some common themes to dreams during the different trimesters of pregnancy, and we cover some examples here.

Dreams in the first trimester

In the first three months of pregnancy, your dreams are likely to focus on your past. You may dream about your childhood, the house you grew up in or about past relationships and lovers you have had. You may wake up from a dream feeling vulnerable - you could have appeared naked in your dream - or you may be acting protective or territorial over something in your dreams. It is thought these dreams help give you closure on any unresolved issues you may have (even if you don't actively think about them during the day).

Dreams in the second trimester

During months three to six of pregnancy, women often dream about animals and water. For example, you might dream about being a dolphin or a whale swimming in the sea with your baby alongside you. It is thought these dreams happen because during these months you start to get a real feeling of the baby growing inside you. He or she will start moving around and kicking and this is when you start bonding with your baby.

Pregnant women tend to feel more anxious about how good a mother they are going to be during the second trimester. You may dream that you have left your baby somewhere or that your baby is born with a disability or a deformity. These dreams do not mean that you are going to be a bad mother, if anything it shows that you already care deeply about your child's well-being.

Dreams in the third trimester

Your dreams may get quite dramatic in the last three months of your pregnancy. They often involve the power of Mother Nature, for example great floods causing dams to burst or volcanoes erupting. These dreams are preparing you for labour and giving birth. Some women even play out their labour and childbirth experience in their dreams.

A movie star or high-profile celebrity may pop up in your dreams at some point during the third trimester too. This is thought to represent the starring role you are about to take on in your own life.

Dreams are not an omen of awful things to come

If you dream you are giving birth to a baby gorilla, while lying on the beach with a great big tidal wave coming your way and George Clooney as your midwife, don't worry! Your dreams are just your brain's way of sifting through and clearing out all of your natural day-to-day concerns about giving birth and wanting your baby to be safe.

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This internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult a doctor or other healthcare professional.