Pregnancy and Birth Spur Anxiety Dreams in Mom

The study included 273 women in three groups: 202 postpar­tum (mean age 29.7; 95 primiparas, 107 multipa­ras); 50 pregnant (mean age = 31.1), and 21 null gravida (mean age = 28.5).

The women completed questionnaires about pregnancy and birth factors, personality, and sleep, and participated in interviews concerning the prevalence of recent infant dreams and nightmares, associated behaviors, anxiety, depression, and other psychopathologic factors.

The major findings:

• Most women (88%-91%) in all groups recalled dreams.
• Postpartum and pregnant women recalled infant dreams and nightmares with equal prevalence, but more postpartum mothers reported anxiety (75%) and the infant being in peril (73%) in their dreams than did pregnant women (59%, P<0.05 and 42%, P<0.0001).
• More postpartum mothers (63%) than pregnant women (40%) reported dream-associated behaviors (P<0.01), but neither group differed from the women who had never borne children (56%).
• Motor activity, the most prevalent behavior, occurred among twice as many mothers (57%) as pregnant women (24%) or null gravidas (25%) (all P<0.0001).
• In contrast, expressing emotion occurred more often among null gravida women (56%) than postpartum women (27%) (P<0.05) but was not significantly different from pregnant women (37%).
• Speaking out was equally prevalent among women in the three groups (12%-19%).
• Dream-associated behavior was associated with nightmares and dream anxiety. Among the postpartum mothers, many reported post-awak­ening anxiety (41%), confusion on awakening (51%), and a need to check on the infant (59.9%).
• Primiparas and multiparas differed in dream and nightmare recall but not in prevalence of dream-associated behavior.

A typical episode for a postpartum mother involved a dream that the infant has been lost in her bed. While dreaming, she searches through the covers, weeps openly, or speaks aloud. At times she may even touch or take hold of her bed partner while attempting to find the lost infant.

When fully awake, she realizes that her infant is not in the bed but she may still feel compelled to arise and confirm that the infant is sleeping safely.