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Our dreams can often be reminiscent of things in our day-to-day lives. Dreaming of a baby — or dreaming of breastfeeding a baby, more specifically — can be a little jarring, whether you already have kids or not. In fact, if you thought your breastfeeding days were behind you, it might even seem like a nightmare (your nipples may hurt just reading this!). Here’s the thing, though: Babies are full of symbolism. If you’re in the throes of breastfeeding or caring for an infant, a dream about doing just that might mean that you’re worried or stressed out about feedings. Many researchers believe that dreams are just random brain activity or a way to work through emotional drama in your everyday life. That would explain why a 2001 study found that pregnant people, or those who just had a baby, are way more prone to dreaming about a little bundle of joy than those who don’t have kids or plan on getting pregnant.
Still, many researchers also believe that a dream of breastfeeding a baby has ulterior meanings worth exploring.
Dreaming of Breastfeeding a Baby
If you’re the kind of person who believes that dreams are just random brain activity, then breastfeeding dreams when you’re not currently nursing can be triggering for sure (especially if you’ve been trying to conceive). But having some sort of context for said dreams may help. For example, breastfeeding (and, therefore, a dream about breastfeeding) is all about nourishment and growth — empirically good things. Similarly, dream researchers believe dreaming of breastfeeding can mean that someone new is coming into your life or that a new opportunity is headed your way.
Then again, it may also matter who you are breastfeeding in your dream. If you are nursing a baby boy in a dream, some dream interpreters suggest that means you feel you’re about to advance in your career or that your financial situation is about to improve. On the other hand, nursing a baby girl supposedly means that you’re finally letting go of past grievances — and a new, stable, and happier chapter of life is headed your way. Nursing a stranger’s child in your dream might indicate that you wish to help someone close to you.
If you dream of breastfeeding your own kid, it can be seen as a sign of contentedness, safety, and belonging.
Dreaming of a Newborn
Seeing a baby in your dream can have a ton of meanings, whether you’re breastfeeding it or not. Per Dream Moods, it really depends on where you are in your life and what the baby is doing. Generally, seeing a baby in your dream may mean “innocence, warmth, and new beginnings.” The outlet adds, “Babies symbolize something in your own inner nature that is pure, vulnerable, helpless, and/or uncorrupted.”
If you’re on your way to give birth to the baby in your dream, it might mean that your emotional needs aren’t being met, and you long to be cared for. Dreaming about forgetting or losing a baby could mean that you’ve actually abandoned yourself or are not being totally authentic.
If you’re already pregnant, these scenarios likely have more superficial meanings and merely indicate that you are stressed about being pregnant and having a child.
Dreaming of a Baby While Pregnant
Dreaming of a baby doesn’t always mean that you’re pregnant, though it could indicate that you have pregnancy and babies on the brain. Pregnancy dreams vary throughout pregnancy, with certain themes occurring at different times. For example, in the first trimester, you might have dreams about water or go on a journey. In the second trimester, dreams about your teeth falling out or giving birth to an adult or anything other than an actual infant might happen. In the third trimester, you might dream about losing your baby, giving birth, or possibly even breastfeeding your future child.
In any case, understanding your dreams is always open to interpretation, and the best way to figure out what they mean to you is to talk about them with your partner, a friend, or even your therapist. Because no matter what you think of babies, breastfeeding, or pregnancy, they’re powerful signals that something is on your mind.
Studies:
Lara-Carrasco, J., Simard, V., Saint-Onge, K., Lamoureux-Tremblay, V., & Nielsen, T. (2013). Maternal representations in the dreams of pregnant women: a prospective comparative study. Frontiers in psychology, 4, 551. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00551
