Nightmares.

[jennamumof3]

For the last week i have started having nightmares. I am asleep and i see a baby sitting at the bottom of my baby's cot i try to move to get to the baby but my body wont move I'm not sure if the baby is alive or not. It is really starting to scare me. I keep waking up during the nightmares and my bod y wont move. Thank you listening to me.Jenna.

[katiev]

I have nightmares too at the moment, all different but some have the baby crying on her own in the cot and nobody going to her, her pram being hit by a car, even one where all the babies I know had their legs cut off.
I feel horrible that Im thinking these things but my partner always keeps me calm by saying that dreams are our subconcious and a way of our fears escaping. Jenna, its probably the worst thought in the world for you not to be able to get to your baby and help, so your dreams are expressing this fear and getting it out.
Now I always try and talk about my dreams to my partner when I wake up- maybe write about it when it happens? He also tries to get me to lucid dream (take control of the dream by changing something small about it, like turning the light on or something), and although i can't quite get the hang of it, just being aware of the dream somethimes helps me get out of it sooner.
I hope some of that helps and I hope you know theres other people feeling the same.
Hope you have sweeter dreams soon

xxx

[IDAP]

I havent posted on this site before but here goes...
I have a 17 wk old and a 2 yr old and have been having dreams about both dying, but they never appear together in one dream. Its always that I leave my baby with someone else and then get a phone call or visitor to say she died, or that my toddler wanders off and I dont notice but then realise and frantically searching for her and find her dead. My most recent were that I went on holiday and really enjoyed not having to care for my children, but then got a call from my dad saying 'shes gone' and I know straight away my babys dead. Another was where me and my partner were staying in a strange huge house and my toddler wanders off, and I see her go but it just doesnt register or I just dont care, but then I realise shes been missing for ages, and search for her, the panic rising and then I spot her and shes fallen down a gap between some old stairs and looks like shes just sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a fur blanket all rosy cheeked but I touch her and shes cold. I then realise shes been dead for ages but its my negligence thats killed her and I wake up feeling physically sick, sweaty and flooded with both guilt and relief that it was just a dream.

[winegirl]

Hi IDAP

Welcome to the forum x

Have you spoken to your GP or HV about these wierd dreams? It could be that you have an increased level of anxiety after the birth which has led to you strt having these horrid dreams.

I would definately talk to your HV about it and see what she says.

I hope you find the support here useful, and just to let you know we are here if you ever need to talk x

Winegirl x

[stevensmummy]

Hi,

I can relate to the dreams. I too have been having an increased number of odd baby related dreams. I told my OH and he suggested this whole maddy thing is bring the though of a dead little girl into our heads. He reckons its all to do with what we go to bed thinking about but I'm not convinced about that one.

But I did also hear from my HV that meds can cause nightmares so maybe you guys on meds could be related to them. Its worth asking about. Nightmares are terrible and I find they stop you wanting to go to bed, and all that does is makes the day worse. And we all know we dont need that

Good luck girls

Sarah x

[flobob]

Hi Jenna

I just read your post tonight. Just wanted to let you know that the bit when your body won't move is called "Sleep paralysis". I have had this for years - nearly half my life now I think about it - God I'm so old!

A friend of mine told me what it was called about 8 years ago and then a couple of years ago I found stuff on the internet about it. Here's an explanation:
"When we go into dreaming sleep which occurs about every hour and a half during the night the body is paralysed. You can’t move, the only thing you can move is maybe the twitching of your fingers, maybe your neck and your eyes. And the purpose of that is to stop you thrashing around in your dreams and enacting your dreams. Now sometimes that paralysis can occur when you’re going to sleep or when you’re waking up or indeed if you actually wake up from a nightmare or a sudden dream you can’t move."

I would wake up to find someone in my room and they would be attacking me but I couldn't move or scream even. And other times it would be something nice, like my Mum stroking my hair and telling me to wake up, but I still couldn't move and actually I knew that my Mum couldn't be there because I didn't live with her at the time, but SOMEONE was touching my hair - so who was it? That was very scary.
I did have this whilst pregnant too. I was very scared that this would happen again after the baby was born and that I wouldn't be able to get up for the baby. But I don't think it has - fingers crossed.

The trick for me now is to realise it is going on, that I know there is no-one in the room with me, that it is sleep paralysis. And then to relax back in to sleep and wake up properly a couple of minutes later. Trying to relax whilst someone is hurting you is very difficult but I have managed it and I hope that you can too.

Take care
FloBob

[stevensmummy]

Wow flobob thats amazing, I never realised that. I must try to remember that and c if I can do it too. I've had really odd dreams lately and i think anything might help.

And to all us bad dreamers, dad suggested keeping a dream diary, basically u write down what u remember about your dream at the time and look for a pattern over the days or weeks. He was reading about this in the national geographic, although I dont remember it myself, but it says dreams are your subconcious trying to tell you something and if you resolve your worry apparently it should resolve the bad dream.
Not convinced but its worth a try

Sarah x

[carol]

Ladies, I've been on anit d's since Aug. Before I accepted I had NPI I used to wake at 4am every morning and could not get back to sleep, as well as the other awful NPI symptoms. Since the meds kicked in all has been pretty good on the sleep front until this week. I've started waking again but having the most awful nightmares. Is this normal? Well as normal as PNI will allow or do I need to go back to the Drs. carol xoxoxox

[winegirl]

Hi Carol

I never really suffered with nightmares until a few weeks on the meds - now i suffer alot with it! Could be a side effect i think? Make appy back at gp to mention it to see what he/she thinks?

Winegirl x

[cheshire]

Hi Carol

How are you?

Are you still getting the nightmares? I got them with PNI (but not with meds), but it has all settled down now thankfully. How about you?

Hopefulxx

[carol]

Hi girls from the nightmares to the most stupid of dreams now (holidaying with family in the home I shared with my ex hubby). Ex hubby owning half the property and painted the bathroom a horrible brown. The house is in the middle of an estate!!! Still having difficulty sleeping. Everything else good. Think I will make that appointment Winegirl. Thanks all Carol xoxoxox

[carol]

Saw the Dr and she has now put me on sleeping tablets. I'll be rattling soon but had the most wonderful nights sleep last night xoxoxoxoxoxox Carol

[winegirl]

Thats great Carol! Hope those fabulous nights sleep carry on hun x