Author Sarah Beeson author and former health visitor answers real mums questions in Mother & Baby.
Q: Since getting pregnant I’ve been having really vivid dreams and nightmares. Is this normal?
Sarah Beeson photo credit The Mango Lab
It’s not unusual to experience vivid dreams and nightmares in pregnancy so you are not alone. Put your mind at rest this is normal. Your dreams are no indication of what will happen in the future. They are your brain working through your thoughts and feelings.
Your dreams may be connected to your emotions around the big change in your life and your feelings about birth and having a new baby. It doesn’t mean you don’t want your baby and aren’t enjoying pregnancy or looking forward to when your Little One arrives.
Many women feel scared and sometimes overwhelmed about pregnancy, labour and giving birth and worry about what will happen. Your hormones are running riot, and that can increase sensitivity. Nature designs women to be more alert to potential dangers to yourself and your baby.
Sleep patterns often change during pregnancy and you may find you’re more wakeful and have broken sleep due to discomfort or needing to use the loo. This means you may be you waking up more frequently during the night, and as we remember the dreams we have just before awaking, pregnant women are more aware of their dreams.
If you’d like to reduce these dreams you could try:
1. Not watching TV or using devices just before bed so you’re mind isn’t overly stimulated
2. Trying to avoid watching upsetting stories on TV, or reading them in the news or on social media as you may be more sensitive than usual
3. Having a warm bath or shower and giving yourself a bit of pampering so you feel calm and relaxed at bedtime
4. Having a milky drink and a piece of toast or some cereal for a late supper to help induce more peaceful slumber
5. Not drinking caffeine drinks like tea, coffee and hot chocolate
6. Doing some relaxation, mediation, or listening to soothing music before you go to sleep
Women often find that the soothing music they listened to in pregnancy has a calming effect on their baby. So picking a favourite calming tune could have benefits now and in the future.
Sarah Beeson’s MBE is a former health visitor and author of parenting guide Happy Baby, Happy Family and health visiting memoir Our Country Nurse published by HarperCollins available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.