Horrendous dreams in the third trimester - anyone else?

[LizaSimpson]

Hello everyone,

The dreaded third trimester has hit and apart from going to the toilet a million times a night and my poor bits feeling like they're gonna fall off every time I turn around in bed eventually when I fall asleep I'm having horrible nightmares but this is the first time it's actually been about the baby and I just wanted to talk about it to help me calm down and realise it's just a dream if anyone else wants to share theirs:-

So I was having a scan and the sonographer was telling me that the baby's heart and organs were failing and she needed the midwife so she called the midwife in who looked at the screen and told me we needed to do a more in depth scan to assess the damage and then it would go to panel for them to decide whether I needed an emergency c section or not so this midwife lead me to a waiting swimming pool? And left me there.

I called my husband but he kept cutting me off so I kept calling and eventually he answered and was like "Jesus f*ck off" (he would never say this to me irl) so I told him calmly that our baby was dying and then the phone call ended.

I then began to ring my grandma to tell her the news but she walked in and sat across from me in the swimming pool and I was like oh the midwife must have called her but as I was about to hang up the phone my grandma answered so I didn't know who my real grandma was, the one sat across from me or the one on the phone.

I woke up with a feeling of dread and a pit in my stomach, I actually convinced myself my baby's heart was failing and almost called the hospital but I managed to resist.

I know it's only a dream but why does our imagination put us through this?

Did anyone suffer with nightmares during pregnancy? I can't remember it being like this with my first.

I did. I dreamt that DS was rushed off to ICU as soon as he was born and I never got to hold him. He was born by emergency-c section in the end and I did get to hold him. I'm sorry if this post is insensitive to anyone whose baby was actually rushed off to ICU. Just trying to reassure OP that dreams like this are common and in my case, it didn't come true.

I had the most terrifying vivid nightmares in my third trimester- really awful stuff that I used to end up thinking about all day long. I'd forgotten about it until now. I hope it passes quickly for you xx

Glad it's not just me, last night I dreamt there were mice running about over the bed. Scared me awake!

I have really vivid dreams/nightmares all through pregnancy. I read it's to do with higher levels of progesterone. Sometimes they wake me up in the middle of the night and I can't get back to sleep.

The other night I dreamed I was walking past one of those charity people, shook my head, and as soon as I passed they jumped on me and tackled me from behind. It was SO realistic I still felt the fear after I woke up.

Yes, I had defensive dreams where I'd kill people. I think it's defence mummy kicking in! Perhaps your dreams are that normal mummy worry. I'd often think of awful things that would make me cry 😭 but think it's just because you love them so much

Yes, a couple of nights ago, I dreamt that I was a prisoner in Nazi Germany and then the next night I dreamt I murdered an elderly woman. Really vivid, terrifying nightmares. I’m due in 2 weeks and haven’t dreamt at all during this pregnancy. I had horrible dreams last night as well. As if insomnia isn’t bad enough 🤦🏻‍♀️

This thread brings back memories of the bizarre dream I had when in third trimester with DD1. I dreamed that she was born in a tin - shaped like those Old Oak Ham tins, flat with a pointed end - and that when we managed to open the tin she was unsurprisingly pale, blue and dead, and had been so for ages.
I can laugh about it now, thirty three years later - DD was very definitely not born in a tin, and is fine - but I woke up terrified in a cold sweat.
OP, I think our brains are just subconsciously worried about the responsibility of a baby, and this comes out as stress nightmares. Don’t worry, they will pass. And once baby arrives, you will be desperate to get any sleep at all, with or or without nightmares!

Absolutely bizarre dreams lately at 38 weeks. The baby was in a moses basket in the closet. Thankfully it was OK. Also had the terrifying one where I had to give birth at home and he had brain damage.

I've had really horrendous nightmares, they were bad in first trimester (although we had a lot of scares with the pregnancy so I think stress was a big part of it) and now again in 3rd trimester they've crept back in again. I've found practising really good sleep hygiene has helped. Clean sheets, cozy jammies, pampering night time routine before bed and then doing a meditation to some spa music and limiting screen time before dozing off has really helped me. I still get them from time to time but not just as often.

I dreamt I was a sausage on a bed of candifloss. Maybe a euphemism in there somewhere.

One time I dreamt so vividly about losing control of my car on a motorway bridge near my house and crashing down over the side and killing my baby :( that I still feel a bit sick going over that bridge a few years on!

I also regularly dreamt I'd left my baby somewhere really irresponsibly. Like I'd be in a public place and I'd just left them to go in a shop or something and everyone was glaring and saying I wasn't fit to parent. In other dreams I'd just lose the baby somewhere and I'd panic and search everywhere. Horrible.

Me too.
I am on HRT now and I get them when taking progesterone too.