Dreaming of my unborn baby girl

SneakPeek’s At-Home Early Gender Predictor Test can tell your baby’s gender as early as 6 weeks into your pregnancy, with 99.9% accuracy, and with no interpretations required.

Picture this: you’re rocking your baby girl to sleep, humming her favorite lullaby, in a pink-painted nursery embellished with sparkly star decals or a colorful rainbow mural. You breathe in her sweet newborn baby smell and savor this moment, imagining the woman she will grow to become.

And then, you wake up.

A pregnancy dream of a baby girl can feel real. It may cause you to wonder, Am I growing a little girl inside of me? Does my brain know something I don’t?

While dreams about baby gender, whether you are dreaming of a baby boy or of a baby girl, likely isn’t an accurate prediction method of your baby’s gender, but it’s not completely without meaning. When you’re pregnant, there’s a lot more going on in your body, your brain, and your dreams than meets the eye.

What’s Below:

• Dreaming 101: The Psychology and Biology of Dreams
  • What are dreams, biologically speaking?
  • What are dreams psychologically speaking?
• What does it mean that you’re dreaming of a baby girl?
  • General Meaning: 6 Common Beliefs and Myths Behind Baby Girl Dreams
• Pregnancy & Dreaming Reality Check
• 9 Examples: Common Pregnancy Dreams (And What They Mean for Mom)

1. 1. A crying baby
   2. A nursing baby dream
   3. A dancing baby
   4. Giving birth to a fully grown child
   5. Giving birth to a two-headed baby
   6. Large vehicles, buildings, or construction
   7. Gardens or fruits
   8. Danger or intruders
   9. Water, swimming, or aquatic animals

• Make Your Baby Gender Discovery Dreams Come True with SneakPeek

Dreaming 101: The Psychology and Biology of Dreams

For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by dreams. They transport us to alternate dimensions and reveal secrets of our subconscious mind. Yet despite the scientific research that has been done to try to uncover the mystery behind dreams, we still don’t know much about the most curious parts of dreaming—why we dream and what our dreams mean.

Theories come from both biological standpoints as well as psychological standpoints, both of which can help us get to know our minds, our dreams, and ourselves a little better.

What are dreams, biologically speaking?

Dreams are thoughts, images, and feelings that occur during sleep and differ from person to person. While most people experience colorful dreams, roughly 12% of people claim to only dream in black and white. There are also differences in what we dream about. In fact, one study found that men often have more aggressive dreams involving physical activity, while women tend to have longer dreams that feature more characters and include more conversation. Even though dreams can often be illogical or incoherent, they’re capable of provoking powerful emotions that can linger even after we’ve woken.

Most dreams occur during the REM stage of our sleep cycles, also known as rapid eye movement sleep or active sleep. Dreams may also occur during non-REM stages of sleep, though research has found these dreams are often less memorable and vivid. This is because during REM sleep, our brains exhibit activity that closely resembles that of our awake state, yet our bodies are essentially paralyzed (aside from our eyes, which move behind our eyelids as though they’re exploring the land of our dreams).

Fun fact: The body paralysis we experience during REM sleep is a safety measure our bodies naturally take to keep us from acting out our dreams in real life. That means you don’t have to worry about accidentally munching on the pillow while you dream about treating yourself to some donuts.

REM sleep is also believed to be the stage of sleep during which our brains process what we’ve learned and experienced during the day, which has led to theories that we dream to:

• Store memories and knowledge – Often, our dreams reflect experiences or thoughts we had during the day. Scientists believe that when we dream, our brains process these experiences to store them as long-term memories.

• Consolidate information – Dreaming may also be the brain’s way of doing a little mental housekeeping by getting rid of information from the day you don’t need to store and making room for more important knowledge.

However, some scientists believe dreams serve no purpose and have no meaning at all. Rather, they see dreams as simply a quirk of the brain.

What are dreams psychologically speaking?

Psychologists have also been baffled by our nightly mental excursions. In the early 1900s, noted psychologist,  and dream analyst, Sigmund Freud wrote an entire book theorizing about dreams and their meanings. Freud believed dreams were a window into our subconscious thoughts and desires, full of symbolism and deep significance.

Freud may have been on the right track. Today, many psychologists support the theory that our dreams can connect us to the unconscious mind, revealing our buried fears and desires, as research suggests that the suppression of thought can often cause us to dream about it.

Others theorize that we dream to:

• Process emotions – Some researchers believe dreams are a way for your brain to process the emotions you experience in your daily life. By creating imagined scenarios, your brain can practice how to react and respond to them.

• Relive our waking lives – Dreams may also be the way our brains review our day-to-day lives and re-analyze the events we go through to discover new perspectives or spark creative ideas.

What does it mean that you’re dreaming of a baby girl?

So far, scientists have not established a link between the gender women dream of and the actual sex of the little one you’re growing.

However, if you’ve been dreaming of a baby girl during your pregnancy, you aren’t the first. Many women experience wild, vivid dreams as they grow their little ones.

In fact, in the 1970s, psychologist Alan Siegel held dream workshops with pregnant women to try to understand pregnancy dreams and their deeper meanings better. Through these workshops, Siegel theorized that dreams reveal underlying feelings and anxieties regarding pregnancy. Today, the belief that moms use dreams to process feelings and emotions about their pregnancies is generally accepted.

All dreams—including dreams of having a baby girl while you’re pregnant—can be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps your brain is expressing your desire to have a little mini-you. Or maybe you’re unknowingly feeling anxious about the idea of becoming a parent. Over the years, some of these theories and interpretations have stuck and become common beliefs behind a baby girl dream meaning.

General Meaning: 6 Common Beliefs and Myths Behind Baby Girl Dreams

Psychologists and dream theorists from cultures around the world have suggested the meanings behind dreams of baby girls. Aside from the obvious dream interpretation that you may wish for a girl over a boy, or are feeling anxious about raising a girl, dreaming of having a baby girl may symbolize:

1. Happiness – In Islamic interpretations, dreams of having a baby girl represent joy and happiness. They indicate that any troubles you’re experiencing will soon be resolved (perhaps by that first look you share with your little one).
2. Inner peace – Feeling zen lately? Some cultures believe that dreaming of a baby girl means you’ve found peace and serenity in your life. You feel calm as you assume the role of mother, bringing new life into the world. Talk about a pregnancy glow.
3. Awareness of responsibility – Dreams of holding a baby girl in particular may indicate your increasing awareness of the responsibility that comes with being a parent. But this isn’t necessarily about anxiety. Your dream of cradling your little princess may represent the emotional and mental growth you’ll experience as a new parent.
4. Vulnerability – Some cultures believe that dreaming of having a baby girl during pregnancy symbolizes that you’re feeling delicate, fragile, or vulnerable.
5. The birth of a boy – Believe it or not, a common myth surrounding pregnancy dreams is that you’re going to give birth to the gender opposite of the gender you’ve been dreaming about (a.k.a. your brain’s version of the old switch-a-roo or it could just be covering all of your bases!).
6. Hope and a new beginning – A biblical interpretation of a baby girl dream is associated with hope and forthcoming opportunity in your life. Girls bring love to your life and will enable you to become your best self.

Pregnancy & Dreaming Reality Check

Though dreaming of a baby girl doesn’t necessarily mean your brain is getting the inside scoop from your uterus, your pregnancy can have physical effects on your dream world. This explains why pregnant women have reported experiencing more vivid and frequent dreams as they grow the little dream of their own.

In fact, several aspects of pregnancy can significantly impact the vividness of your dreams and the ability to remember them:

• Your hormones – During pregnancy, levels of estrogen and progesterone rise significantly to provide a supportive, nurturing environment for the baby to grow. These hormones don’t just affect the body as morning sickness; increases in estrogen and progesterone drive changes in brain structure and function during pregnancy, causing the brain to process information and emotions differently, which happens during REM sleep. This means dreams may be more vivid and more frequent.

Fluctuating hormones can also increase tiredness, causing pregnant women to sleep more than usual. This increases the time they spend in the dream stage of sleep, meaning they’ll have more frequent dreams. And if your brain is thinking up some spicy nighttime erotica, you can thank your raised levels of estrogen for that, too.

• The need to pee – When the REM stage of sleep is interrupted, we’re more likely to remember the wild dreams we just left because our minds didn’t have the chance to move into the next stage of sleep. If you’re waking frequently during the night to go to the bathroom, you’re more likely to interrupt your REM stage. For a pregnant woman, this may make it feel as though they’re dreaming more vividly than usual, when really, they’re simply able to recall their dreams better.
• The foods you crave (and eat) – Although there’s no scientific evidence that proves eating certain foods will cause you to have more vivid dreams, eating foods that upset your stomach or cause digestive issues may wake you up more during the night. Similar to waking up more frequently to pee, these nighttime disturbances may lead to better dream recall when you wake.

Plus, regardless of whether you’re munching on fried pickles or licking the bowl after a scoop (or two, or three) of ice cream, eating food right before you fall asleep increases your body temperature and metabolism. This results in increased brain activity during REM sleep, which may produce more vivid or bizarre dreams.

• Your new thoughts – Dreams often represent the thoughts and feelings we have during waking hours. When you’re pregnant, your mind might be filled with worries about parenthood and hopes for your child. These new thoughts are new material for your brain to remix through dreams.

9 Examples Common Pregnancy Dreams (And What They Mean for Mom)

From anxiety to excitement to indigestion, your pregnancy will be filled with a coterie of feelings. That means your dreams may be, too.

Here are some of the most common (and most bizarre) dreams pregnant women experience, as well as how today’s psychologists and dream researchers interpret them:

1. A crying baby

Have you dreamt of a crying baby? It is thought to represent the fear of taking care of a child and anxieties about becoming a parent.

2. A nursing baby dream

A nursing baby is a dream symbol believedA nursing baby dream to represent tenderness, love, and nurturance. If you’re dreaming of nursing your upcoming addition, it likely means you’re feeling confident and excited about your journey into motherhood.

3. A dancing baby

Dreaming of a baby wiggling, bopping, and squirming with glee? While this could represent your excitement regarding your pregnancy, it may also symbolize hopefulness about your child’s future.

4. Giving birth to a fully grown child

This bizarre dream scenario is thought to represent your hope for easy labor and birth.

5. Giving birth to a two-headed baby

Seeing double in your dreams? Psychologist Nancy Irwin explains this common dream may represent feeling overwhelmed or anxious about your upcoming arrival.

6. Large vehicles, buildings, or construction

A pregnancy dream of large vehicles, towering buildings, or construction are believed to stem from awareness of your growing, changing body.

7. Gardens or fruits

Envisioning blooming gardens or bountiful baskets of fruit in your dreams? These serene images are thought to be a dream symbol of your fertility and inner growth.

8. Danger or intruders

If you’ve experienced a vivid dream of danger or intruders while pregnant, it may be due to unconscious worries about protecting your little one once she arrives.

9. Water, swimming, or aquatic animals

Dreaming of swimming alongside angelfish or tiny tadpoles? According to internationally recognized dream expert , Dr. Patricia Garfield, this type of pregnancy related dream is thought to stem from your awareness of your baby growing (and swimming about) in amniotic fluid.

Make Your Baby Gender Discovery Dreams Come True with SneakPeek

Your dreams of having a baby girl may provide a fun way to explore the world of your unconscious mind, but they may not be the most accurate gender detection tool. Fortunately, with SneakPeek, you don’t need them to be.

SneakPeek’s At-Home Early Gender Predictor Test can tell your baby’s gender as early as 7 weeks into your pregnancy, with 99.9% accuracy, and with no interpretations required. Simply order your kit online, take your DNA sample, and mail it back to SneakPeek labs in our pre-paid package. With SneakPeek Standard, you’ll receive results the day after your sample arrives. With SneakPeek FastTrack, you’ll find out your baby’s gender the same day we receive your sample!

Discovering your baby’s gender has never been dreamier—learn more about SneakPeek today!

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by the following medical professional:

Dr. Heather Soper, Certified Nurse Midwife

Heather has 15 years of women’s health and obstetrics experience. She is the owner of The Genesis Resort for Birth and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at James Madison University.

Sources:

• Sleep Foundation. Dreams. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams
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• Living and Loving. Pregnancy Dreams Decoded. https://www.livingandloving.co.za/pregancy-blogs/pregnancy-dreams-decoded/amp?platform=hootsuite
• Sleep Association. The Psychology of Dreams. https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/dreams
• Sleep. Is What You’re Eating Affecting Your Dreams? https://www.sleep.org/is-what-youre-eating-affecting-your-dreams/
• Parents. Old Wives’ Tales and Baby Gender: Will You Have a Boy or a Girl? https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-baby/gender-prediction/wives-tales/
• Very Well Mind. Interesting Facts About Dreams. https://www.verywellmind.com/facts-about-dreams-2795938#:~:text=Not%20All%20Dreams%20Are%20in,are%20those%20most%20frequently%20chosen.
• NCBI. About Sleep’s Role in Memory. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768102/
• Scientific American. Why do we dream? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-we-dream/
• Very Well Mind. Why Do We Dream? https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-dream-top-dream-theories-2795931

What does it mean when you dream about your unborn child?

What does it mean when you dream that you have given birth to a baby girl?