Pregnancy and postnatal dreams reflect changes inherent to the transition to motherhood

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the pattern of dreams of pregnant women and new mothers as an expression of the changes inherent to the transition to motherhood. Ninety-eight antenatal and 68 postnatal dreams were collected from 20 women during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 10-12 weeks' postpartum, and dream content was coded and analyzed with the Hall and Van de Castle (1966) Coding System for dreams. Perinatal dreams were found to consistently reflect expected changes associated with the transition to motherhood, thus supporting the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. Women's dreams reflected awareness of the unborn and newborn baby, an enhancement of protecti..