Fantastic or scary dreams
As your belly grows your thoughts will start to turn towards wondering who the baby will look like and what sex they may be. Many couples will discuss issues like "I hope our baby has your eyes, or my nose!', or they will imagine if their baby will be dark or fair (depending on the parent's features). You may not feel particularly attracted to other babies and wonder if yours will be 'ugly'. (Fortunately we have never met any parents who think this about their own child after they are born!) As a variety of possibilities are considered, most parents will begin to create an image of their ideal baby, or they may have dreams about what their baby will look like.
Some couples discover the sex of their baby(s) through an
ultrasound or
genetic testing, while others prefer to wait and keep it as a surprise for the birth. When the sex remains unknown, many women find themselves 'feeling' that their baby is either a boy or a girl, even though they do not have anything concrete to base this on.
There are several old wives tales that are supposed to predict the sex of your baby. These can include the shape of your belly or size of your breasts, the way you are 'carrying', the condition of your skin or how much body hair you have, the physical ailments you suffer from or cravings you may have, the average heart rate of your baby or the time you conceived, even the colour of your urine! None of these are reliable, but they are fun to dabble with.
Fantastic or scary dreams
Many women express concerns about their dreams during pregnancy. They may involve being abandoned or losing your partner, giving birth to a baby who has an abnormality, having a 'painless' birth and discovering the sex of your child, or experiencing an out of control situation or an emergency at the birth. These are unlikely to merge into reality when the time comes, but they may reflect some unconscious concerns that you need to confront.