The Truth About Pregnancy Dreams

Catching a decent night's sleep when you're pregnant is tough, especially when your nights are filled with hormonally charged dreams that can be comforting, scary, or just plain weird.

Katie Smith, of Denver, recalls being awakened by the kookiest dream in her first trimester: "I was running down the freeway with my jogging stroller, chasing after a pickle. I finally caught up with it in the pickle shop and took it to the counter, where I realized I didn't have a quarter to pay for it. As I searched the stroller and my pockets for money, I woke up and went to the refrigerator to eat some pickles."

In Smith's case, her stereotypical hankering for the salty snack simply played itself out in her dreams. Sometimes there's no deeper meaning. But our rich and vivid dreams -- even the scary ones -- can serve a purpose. In fact, pregnancy dreams are often our mind's way of preparing us for birth and motherhood, experts say.