In our dreams, we can experience events that are vastly different from our lived realities, including strange or unlikely occurrences—like your teeth falling out or snakes slithering around in your home or bed. But, one common dream reflects a much more plausible reality for some folks: being pregnant.

According to dream analysts, however, the meaning of pregnancy dreams doesn’t typically have to do with actual pregnancy or wanting to get or avoid getting pregnant (though that’s a possibility). In scenarios where pregnancy isn’t currently a relevant factor in your life, it’s likely that a pregnancy dream is more about bringing something into the world, metaphorically speaking. Indeed, these dreams often reflect growth, development, opportunity, and ripe possibility. 

Common meanings of pregnancy dreams

Experiencing pregnancy is an extremely common dream, typically signifying that something is about to change (or be born) in your world, says dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg, author of Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life. “There’s something in your life that is currently in the works, and what’s going on right now will eventually feel like a new life once it reaches what it’s supposed to reach,” she says, of a person experiencing pregnancy dreams.

Perhaps you’re a student working on a degree that will create life-changing career opportunities or shuttle you into a new phase of life (and the degree is the thing that you’re figuratively birthing in the dream), or maybe you’re nourishing a passion, and it’s about to sprout into a full-blown project. In any case, a pregnancy dream can speak to a work-in-progress, or, similarly, the potential for rebirth; perhaps the self-work you’re doing is helping you become a new version of yourself.

“A pregnancy dream could mean there’s something in your life that is currently in the works.” —Lauri Loewenberg, dream analyst

If, in the dream, you actually give birth, you might be arriving at the end of such a transformation, or of a lengthy project or event in your waking life, according to Loewenberg. “The difference between the pregnancy dream and giving birth in a dream is the process because [in the latter], the work is already done,” she says.

On the flip side, if you don’t actually dream of being pregnant but instead of receiving a positive pregnancy test result, the meaning might be slightly different. In this case, says Loewenberg, the dream could indicate that a new endeavor you’re taking on—whether a relationship or a work project or something else entirely—will have a positive outcome.

Separately, however, if you’re currently trying to conceive and then dream of receiving a positive pregnancy test, it’s worth taking a real pregnancy test, adds Loewenberg, “because dreams can often serve as messengers between the body and our conscious awareness.” In other words? Your dream might be subconsciously telling you that you’re pregnant before you’ve confirmed as much.

How to determine the meaning of your pregnancy dreams

While it’s certainly helpful to know the broad contours of dream meanings, these interpretations are just one part of the whole picture, says astrologer and dream interpreter Stephanie Gailing, author of The Complete Book of Dreams.“We can look at what a dream means symbolically, but it’s also really important to look at the additional content of our views, feelings, and attitudes because [any given] dream doesn’t mean the same thing for everybody,” she says.

“It’s important to look at the additional content of our views, feelings, and attitudes because [any given] dream doesn’t mean the same thing for everybody.”—Stephanie Gailing, dream analyst

To gather that personal context, it’s important to sit with any dream, and consider how you feel about it and whether it elicits any strong emotions. “It’s not productive to think, That was weird [about a particular dream], and move on because that’s like ignoring an important phone call,” says Loewenberg. “You’ve got to pick it up and say, ‘What’s the message?'” After all, it’s your life experience that colors your dreams, including pregnancy dreams, and ultimately gives them unique meaning.

For pregnancy dreams, specifically, Gailing suggests considering how you feel about pregnancy in your waking life to better understand the message being conveyed by the dream. Does the prospect of pregnancy excite you, or is it something that you don’t want to experience or that you’re afraid of? Are you surprised to be pregnant in the dream? Is pregnancy something you’re capable of experiencing, or do you not know the answer to that question? The emotional contour of your reflections on pregnancy will certainly have bearing on the meaning of your pregnancy dreams.

For example, for someone who wanted to have children but can’t, “a pregnancy dream could be an experience where they’re processing their grief,” says Gailing. But for someone who’s excited about and capable of pregnancy, the meaning of pregnancy dreams could reflect a more positive development brewing in their life.

For additional context, consider what else happened in the dream surrounding your pregnancy, says Loewenberg: What were you thinking and doing in the dream, and if you told anyone about your pregnancy in your dream, how did they react? These other happenings can help you pinpoint how you actually feel about the dream, which, again, will help you unpack its meaning.

The same thing goes for the outcome of the dream pregnancy, too. If the pregnancy you experienced in a dream seemed to go well, that’s auspicious for whatever you may be undertaking in your waking hours, says Loewenberg, because your dream emotions are connected to similar emotions in real life. Which is also to say, a difficult dream pregnancy or one that filled you with worry or fear could indicate that those feelings may be at play in your waking life, too.

What to do if you dream of being pregnant

Once you’ve determined what your pregnancy dream might mean, it’s helpful to think about what aspects of your waking life may be growing and changing, says Loewenberg, whether they’re internal (perhaps a new attitude or mindset) or external (say, a new job or relationship). Then, consider whether you might feel some of the same emotions around these real-life happenings as you did surrounding your dream pregnancy.

From there, you can use these insights to take action. For example, if you determine that the pregnancy in your dream may be a symbol of a developing work project you’re spearheading, and you felt anxious in response to it, perhaps you might consider seeking some extra support for the project to quell similar fears you may have been suppressing in real life. Or, if you connect your dream pregnancy to an internal shift you’re working toward, and you felt optimistic within the dream, maybe you just need to stay the course and steel yourself for your real-life growth journey ahead.

In any case, it’s helpful to view a pregnancy dream as a harbinger of change afoot and your emotional response to it as an indicator of how you might feel about that change—which can help you act with greater alignment.