When one is pregnant, there’s a baby a-brewing but if you’re in the throes of giving birth, your little one is on its way. It is common for expectant mothers to dream about giving birth, yet both men and women report dreaming about pregnancy and childbirth even when there is no waking life baby in their future. If you happen to be pregnant or a man with a pregnant wife, then childbirth dreams usually reflect subconscious concerns about the coming event. These are not necessarily prophetic dreams.

However, if you are not pregnant but dream of childbirth, this commonly refers to something in your life you are “birthing” or bringing forth in a creative sense. Just as giving birth is an act of creation, you birth ideas and projects, too.

Giving birth. Bringing forth new life, idea, project, art creation.
Problems giving birth. Difficulties in producing or manifesting a project.
Giving birth to a stillborn infant. You are harboring worries that all of your efforts will be for nothing.
Giving birth to a non-human animal. Consider what you are giving birth to. Look up the symbolism for what is being born.
Giving birth to a monster. Fear that you won’t be able to maintain control over your project or that the project will have disastrous or dangerous effects.
No pain during childbirth. Effortless creation.
Excruciating pain during childbirth. Painful, emotional or traumatic experiences during the production process.
Killing the baby after childbirth. Dissatisfaction with project. Someone or some event will terminate or pull the plug of support of your project.
Dying in childbirth. Unsuccessful business venture. Losing public image or reputation while bringing forth creative project. Loss of personal self due to the enormous labors of producing a project.


Childbirth idioms and sayings

“Switched at birth.”
“Being reborn.”
“Pangs of childbirth.”
“The mountain gave birth to a mouse.” (Turkish idiom meaning underneath a lot of false bravado in a man can be very little substance.)