Pregnancy Dreams: An A-Z Guide to Pregnancy Dream Interpretation

Are your pregnancy dreams especially vivid (and strange!)? Scroll through our pregnancy dreams guide and decipher what your subconcious is trying to tell you!

Mysterious, exceptionally realistic, and sometimes just plain wacky dreams are a common occurrence during pregnancy. In days of old, many midwives believed that what you dreamt during pregnancy gave valuable insight into you and your baby’s health and well being.

Are you curious about your pregnancy dreams? Keep a journal stashed by your bed and jot down notes each morning, then use our handy A-Z guide to decipher what your baby might be trying to tell you!

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Acorns: “From little acorns big oak trees grow.” The acorn is a metaphor for pregnancy.

Animals: Animals in dreams remind us to trust our instincts.

Airplanes: Airplanes symbolize travel, change, and a desire to be in a new and different place, either physically or emotionally.

Armor: A symbol of protection; a way to keep both mother and baby safe from outside elements.

Attack: Dreaming of being attacked has a fairly literal meaning. It could indicate fear or anxiety about some unknown part of your life. Perhaps you are feeling vulnerable, either at work or at home. Try to discern who your attacker is, as this will yield some powerful insight.

Babies: Expectant parents and parents of young children often dream of babies. These dreams take many forms, from babies who are born deformed or become lost, to dreams of abandonment and death. These dreams are not premonitions; rather they are simply a parent’s way of dealing with the anxiety and responsibility inherent in parenting.

Bank: Dreams of financial institutions likely reflect an anxiety about finances.

Bath: This represents the womb and may be symbolic of your need to nurture yourself.

Bed: Sometimes dreams are direct messages. If you find yourself dreaming of beds, it may be that you need to get more rest in preparation for the big event.

Bees: While pregnant, you may feel a bit like the queen bee, happy to get all the attention but exhausted from being the one in charge.

Bird: Seeing a bird in your dreams can equate to freedom and success. You may have a sense after having a bird dream of feeling like you’ve risen above something, for example a pregnancy-related anxiety or some negative feelings about impending birth and motherhood (or something negative in your own past).

Birth: This is a common dream as a pregnant woman approaches her due date. Such dreams act as a “trial run” and help prepare the mother for the big event.

Boy: If you dream of a little boy or giving birth to a boy it could be a premonition. But it may also symbolize your maternal power developing and an increase of power in your family.

Boyfriends/Girlfriends: There’s nothing like pregnancy to bring ex-lovers back into your dreams! Don’t worry; this is simply your mind’s way of clearing them from your life once and for all.

Bridge: This is a classic symbol of transition. Water is often involved as well. The key to the meaning of the dream is whether or not you were able to cross the bridge.

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Calendar Date: This is one of the few dreams that could be prophetic, especially if you are closing in on your due date.

Candle: A candle is a symbol of spirituality—the “light” of the child inside of you.

Cars: Such dreams are related to the level of control you have in your life. The physical condition of the car, as well as your location in the car (for example: Are you the one driving, or are you a passenger?) are reflections of how in control you are feeling.

Castles: A castle could indicate a feeling of victory, an expression of joy at being pregnant. The thick walls, moat and drawbridge, and fortress-like aspect of the structure also suggest a feeling of protection or wanting to keep the baby safe and secure.

Cat: Pregnant women often dream of giving birth to cats, possibly because a cat is about the same size as a baby. The cat is a feminine symbol.

Caves: A cave symbolizes a haven and a retreat, and is a very powerful symbol of Mother Nature and the womb.

Circle: A powerful symbol that indicates completion of a journey or a feeling of completion.

Clocks: Time becomes a common theme as a woman gets closer to her due date.

Coffins, and other symbols of death, are not premonitions. Rather, they are symbols of change and moving on in a career or in a relationship.

Cooking: This is another metaphor for the process of pregnancy.

Dolphin: The dolphin is tied to feminine sexuality. Take note of how connected you feel to the dolphin in your dream.

Ear: The shape of the ear closely resembles a fetus. The ear may be a metaphor for your baby.

Earth: A very common grounding theme, indicating a oneness with nature.

Eating: Dreaming of a particular food may be your mind’s way of alerting you to a deficiency in your diet. If you dream of oranges you might need to eat more vitamin C, for example. Similarly, dreams of blood and meat may indicate a need for more iron. Eating can also be symbolic of a woman’s state of mind about her pregnancy. If she is picking at her food, barely partaking, she may be ambivalent about motherhood. In contrast, if she is sitting down and eating a meal with gusto, this indicates she is fully prepared to embrace her role.

Egg: This is a classic symbol that often appears in dreams in the early stages of pregnancy—sometimes this is a woman’s first indication that she is pregnant!

Elevator: Dreams of elevators often indicate movement or transition in our lives.

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Falling: This is a common dream, indicating uncertainty about the future. Not surprisingly, it is especially common among pregnant women.

Family: This symbolizes a feeling of completion now that you are pregnant. Conversely, dreams of family could indicate that there are some issues that need to be resolved.

Fire: Fire symbolizes passion and could also indicate concern over a major life transition.

Fleeing: This is connected with a feeling of helplessness, of being out of control of one’s life and one’s body.

Flowers: If in full bloom, the flowers are a positive symbol of the beautiful life growing inside of you. If the flowers are wilted, it could be a direct warning that you need to drink more water.

Flying: Such dreams are fortuitous, and represent freedom and release. Dreaming of flying late in the pregnancy can signify an easy birth. Flying is a metaphor for personal power and overcoming obstacles.

Forests: Forests often represent unacknowledged fears. There is darkness, mystery, and just a bit of magic to a forest. Take note of what you find in the forest: Objects, other people, or animals may be hidden in the trees. They’re there for a reason!

Fruit: This is symbolic of life and could also represent the unborn child.

Girl: The girl you dream of could either be yourself at a young age or a premonition of the sex of your child.

Gold: Gold is a powerful element and could be symbolic of the richness of the pregnant life.

Gun or other weapon: Both are a symbol of aggression and protection. If you are the one doing the attacking, take note of who you are fighting. If you are defending yourself, this indicates a strong sense of worth. A knife has sexual connotations.

Hair: Hair has many meanings. It is associated with beauty, where lack or loss of hair symbolizes passing youth. Long hair represents creativity, while short hair, or hair that’s been cut, indicates lack of creativity.

Harvest: This represents the cycle of nature, and the need for patience.

Home: Home is often a metaphor for pregnancy. The feelings you have toward the “home” are key.

Houses: House imagery is common in pregnancy, for obvious reasons. A pregnant woman is “housing” her child, and the house itself (i.e. her body), is in constant state of change. It is not unusual for a pregnant woman to dream of adding rooms to the house, tacking on porches or additional levels, both as a representation of making more room for the baby as well as a metaphor for the change in the size and shape of her body.

Husband: The interaction between you and your husband is critical to the interpretation of the dream. If you dream of him being aloof and standoffish, it may be that you need him to participate more in your pregnancy.

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Infidelity: Such dreams are not uncommon among pregnant women. They represent an understandable uncertainty about how the child will affect the marriage.

Island: Another great metaphor for the relationship between mother and her unborn child.

Jewels: Precious stones symbolize the inner self as well as the unborn child.

Journey: This is a fairly literal symbol of the nine-month journey of pregnancy.

Joy: Dreaming of joy may be your mind’s way of encouraging you to express joy more fully while awake.

Key: A phallic symbol as well as one that is representative of a new sense of freedom.

Kitchen: Cooking and baking symbols are rampant in pregnant women’s dreams. The analogy is of preparation and nurturing.

Knife: A symbol of aggression. A knife also represents a penis and may indicate the dreamer’s fear of intimacy or sexual relations.

Knitting: This indicates nurturing and preparing for the baby’s arrival.

Laboratory: Analogous to preparation for childbirth and parenting.

Marriage: If you dream of marriage, take it literally. It is likely that you want to get married or are about to be married.

Milk: This is likely a literal dream as your body begins to prepare for milk production.

Miscarriage: This is a typical anxiety dream, and in no way should it be considered a premonition. Check with your doctor if you are at all concerned.

Monster: Monsters appear frequently in children’s dreams and represent a feeling of insecurity or lack of safety on the child’s part. When adults dream of monsters, it represents some unresolved trauma or fear that needs to be overcome.

Movie Stars: When pregnant women dream of movie stars it represents the starring role they are playing in their own lives.

Mountains: Mountains represent challenges to be met, the stages of the pregnancy journey, the arduousness of the process and the ultimate victory at scaling the heights. If you dream of descending the mountain, rather than ascending it, you may be nearing the end of your pregnancy.

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Nest: This could be related to the classic nesting syndrome most pregnant women experience around their due dates. Dreams of a nest may be your mind’s way of alerting you to some important preparatory details left undone.

Nudity: Nudity represents feelings of vulnerability and symbolizes how a pregnant woman’s condition is exposed to the entire world.

Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers: Water represents fertility, motherhood, and the flow and movement of life. A woman who dreams of water is likely experiencing a deep connection with her pregnancy, and is very tuned-in to the more primal aspects of it.

Opening: Dreaming of opening a gift, or opening a series of doors, could refer to the imminent birth and opening up of a new area of your life.

Past: People, places, and events from your past likely represent unresolved issues that need to be addressed.

Performing: If you dream of being on stage or performing, it could represent insecurity about how well you will play your part as a mother.

Pregnancy: If you dream of being pregnant, it is likely that you are attempting to conceive or have some unresolved issues surrounding having children.

Quilt: This could represent family and old-fashioned values, part of the nesting process.

Rainbow: This is a beautiful symbol representing your feelings about your pregnancy.

Ring: A ring symbolizes commitment and connection. Loss of a ring in a dream suggests disappointment in a relationship.

School: This is a classic anxiety dream, reflecting insecurity about your abilities in certain areas of your life.

Sex: Just as dreams of eating food could indicate a lack of certain nutrients in your diet, dreams of sex could signify a need for more sex, or at least more romance! It can also represent a woman’s joy at the role she is playing in the life cycle. There is no denying it—sex is a critical component of pregnancy!

Snake: Due to their phallic shape, snakes represent sex; they also indicate growth and wisdom.

Stairs: Stairs appear frequently in dreams as a symbol of movement and advancement toward a goal. Stairs also represent sex, according to our friend Sigmund Freud, due to the rhythmic nature of climbing them.

Storms: Violent storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes reflect instability, especially among family members.

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Telephone: The telephone symbolizes communication. Difficulty using a telephone in a dream often indicates frustration or blocked communication.

Traffic: This is a common element in anxiety dreams as the subconscious plays through various scenarios of what could go wrong.

Twins: Dreams of twins do not necessarily indicate that you will be having twins. More likely you are meeting your child, who in the dream is the other half of you.

Trains: Indicates movement or motion in life, especially where career or relationships are concerned.

Uniform: Dreams that contain this symbol may be expressing your resentment at assuming the “uniform” of motherhood. Perhaps you worry you will be constrained by the role in some way.

Walking: If you are dreaming of going on long walks, it could symbolize the journey of pregnancy, or it could be a more literal meaning of needing to get more exercise.

Water: This is a common element in dreams. Water represents emotion, the womb, and fertility. The behavior of the water is key. Is it buoying you up, or pulling you along in a swift current?

Weaving: This is a common metaphor for the process of producing life.

Whale: The whale is a powerful symbol of feminine power and creativity.

Zoo: A pregnant woman often feels as though she is in a zoo—everyone is looking at her and there is no place to hide! If zoos figure prominently in your dreams, it could be a sign that you need to create more private space for yourself.

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