The effects of announcing dreams: An investigation of pregnant women’s perceived communication with their unborn

Abstract

Announcing dreams are one type of extraordinary dream reported by pregnant women that is not well understood. The focus of this study was to examine how announcing dreams affect pregnant women. Twenty-two pregnant volunteers completed an online questionnaire about their announcing dream experience. Within this sample, announcing dreams took place most often in the first trimester of pregnancy, were reported to be significant by 73% of participants, and were shared with others by 85% of the participants. Thematic analysis revealed 12 themes: emotions, confidence and affirmation, bonding and connection, birth, hospitals and health-care professionals, husband/partner, dream settings, breastfeeding, catastrophe, lucidity, decision-making regarding the pregnancy, and prediction of sex. Lucidity was reported by 10 participants, yet only two of these reports showed the hallmarks of lucidity. Five dream reports included predictions of the child’s sex.