Dreams
7 Things Pregnancy Dreams Can Mean If You're Not Pregnant
It depends upon the dreamer.
Maybe it’s a dream that dramatically involves the process of giving birth itself, or maybe you're just acutely aware of the fact that a baby is on the way beneath your growing bump. Whatever the case, it isn't a real pregnancy, at least not in your waking life. So what do pregnancy dreams mean when you’re not pregnant? There's no reason to rush to the drugstore for a pregnancy test, because it turns out, dreams of giving birth when not pregnant are not uncommon.
Depending on your current life situation, these real-seeming dreams can kind of freak you out. But these dreams aren't necessarily your unconscious mind trying to make a real pregnancy known.
“Pregnancy dreams can be literal or metaphorical — even men dream of being pregnant,” Delphi Ellis, a dream interpreter, tells Romper.
For something that you deal with on a nightly basis for most of your life, dreams never totally lose their sense of otherworldly weirdness. Even if you know that you didn't just give birth to twins in the back of a movie theater, the feelings that these dreams drag up can be so real. So if you've been thrown for a loop by a pregnancy dream recently, check out these seven potential things that dreams of giving birth when not pregnant may mean. You can rest assured that plenty of other people are just as baffled by dreams as you are, and they've put a lot of time and effort into understanding these weird nighttime visions.
1A new project or event is underway
Maybe your dream about a coming baby is really about some new project. “Another dream meaning of pregnancy is the gestation period before a new event occurs,” as Pamela Cummins, expert dream interpreter, tells Romper. “Whether that is beginning a new career, moving across the country, planning a wedding, writing a novel, and so forth.” Is there another major change in your life going on?
2You’re facing a big change
Dreams of giving birth when not pregnant might point to an unsolved issue in your life. In general, a dream about pregnancy may unveil some feelings of uncertainty or unease over change in your life. Maybe something feels out of control, or you're experiencing concerns about your career.
3You're experiencing positive personal growth
Here's a pleasant thought. Dreaming about being pregnant may be a positive indication that you are experiencing progress and growth in your life. Hopefully it means your life is headed in a fresh and positive direction.
4You’re in the mood to be creative
Several experts mentioned the connection between having pregnancy dreams mean when you’re not pregnant and creative expression. “It is, in fact, a perfect symbol to represent the creative potential of any aspect of life. All human beings understand gestation and birth on a fundamental level, and so the universal meaning of creative potential is what is being expressed when someone dreams of pregnancy,” as Dr. Michael Lennox, a dream expert, tells Romper.
5You need a new creative outlet
If your creativity has been stifled for a while, then the dream may point to the need for a new hobby. Basically, a dream about being pregnant can mean you need a new creative outlet. Do you crave a new way to express yourself?
6Babies are on your mind
What if you have been thinking about growing your family? “Dreaming about a pregnancy might be a premonition of having a child in the near future; however, it depends upon the dreamer. For instance, if a woman is in the process of in vitro fertilization, her pregnancy dream can be showing her desire to have a child,” says Cummins.
7You're super stressed out
Do you have a lot going on? Sometimes a dream about falling pregnant, and the ways that would complicate your life, means you're already stressed out to the max. It may be a sign that you need to decrease the stress load in your work or personal life.
8Whatever you decide
Not everyone believes dreams necessarily have some deeper meaning at all. In fact, some modern neuroscientists think that dreams don't necessarily mean anything, because they are just the byproduct of your nighttime neurological processes, as noted in Psychology Today. So if you have a dream about being pregnant, maybe you aren't secretly wishing for a child or anything. It's just the way your brain happened to defrag that particular night.
The interpretation is up to you, especially in terms of the emotional response. “Please pay attention to your feelings and actions that occurred in the dream for a better understanding of the dream’s message,” says Cummins. Basically, dreams about pregnancy can have whatever meaning you decide.
Sources interviewed:
Delphi Ellis, a dream interpreter
Dr. Michael Lennox, a dream expert
Pamela Cummins, expert dream interpreter
This article was originally published on
