Dream of Breastfeeding: Meaning and Spiritual Messages
According to Carl Jung, dreams are the guiding words of the soul. While there’s still no consensus on one explanation as to why we dream and what these dreams mean, analyzing them can help us understand the hidden domain of the mind.
Dreaming about breastfeeding can have a direct personal message to the dreamer. It can hint that someone from the dreamer’s life needs love, tenderness, and nurturance. Or it could be the dreamer who needs nurturing. It could also be a manifestation of an unconscious desire to nourish a new life not limited to babies but the dreamer’s creative endeavors, relationships, ideas, or new beginnings.
One of the prevalent dreams among women is breastfeeding, so why don’t we go ahead and milk it?
Spiritual Message of Breastfeeding Dreams
Breastfeeding is marked as one of the most essential phases in mammalian life. Due to the physical and emotional benefits it provides for the mother and the youngling, it is incredibly vital for both.
Not only does it strengthen their bond, it’s also been proven to be the most effective and natural way to ensure the child’s health and survival and this has remained steadfast despite all the advancements the human civilization has undergone. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that breastfeeding dreams are so prevalent even if you’ve never had children or even if you’re a man.
Breastfeeding generally symbolizes motherly love, giving or receiving, physical and emotional support, primal need to care for others, sustenance, nurturing, tenderness, and love—all the good stuff.
As stated in Miller’s dreambook, breastfeeding or witnessing another woman doing it implies that good things will come your way. Furthermore, he posits that this could also mean that marriage and a plethora of kids will manifest in reality. He further stated that it could also imply financial stability within the family.
According to a French dreambook, if you find yourself breastfeeding your kid, that is a sign of well-being, and it means you’re letting go of past grievances.
On the other hand, in Tsverkov’s dreambook, he stated that if you’re feeding the baby with breastmilk in a dream, it may allude to the destruction of psyche and anhedonia when it comes to intimate relations. As per Loff’s dream decryption, breastfeeding could insinuate that some of the hidden thoughts of the dreamer may get unveiled. He also surmised that this could be an indication of your partner’s distrust, or you’re about to be betrayed by those who helped you.
Common Scenarios of Breastfeeding a Baby
Dream of Breastfeeding a Baby When You’re Not Pregnant or Married
Dreaming of breastfeeding when you’re neither pregnant nor married can be an intuitive sense that you’re about to be pregnant or give life to a particular creative idea or business venture. It could also be an omen that you’re about to get married or take serious steps in your relationship.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Baby If You’re Pregnant or Married
If you’re married or having a baby, this could be a positive omen. This dream usually symbolizes prosperity, so this could be interpreted as having a fulfilling and harmonious relationship with your loved ones. The dream could also be the brain’s way of emotionally preparing you to play the role of a mother.
According to a majority of research regarding dream formation, dreams are a culmination of personal, environmental, and contextual cues as well as the visual associations of their emotional salience that are drawn from the immediate day or from events occurring 5-7 days prior to the dream.
If you’re expecting a child, it’s likely that pregnancy occupies the majority of your thoughts. The dream could be a reflection of your anxiety about having a kid, and it could also be your brain’s way of helping you strengthen your bond with your baby.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Baby Boy
Dreaming of breastfeeding a newborn boy suggests that you are open to new experiences. The dream serves as a clamor from the subconscious for you to go inward, explore the world and examine areas in your life that you can improve.
A baby boy is also a masculine symbol that conveys feelings of empowerment, confidence, and being grounded. Moreover, some interpretations predict an improvement in your monetary situation, success in your professional life, or an unexpected promotion.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Baby Girl
While dreaming of breastfeeding a boy signifies financial growth, giving breastmilk to a baby girl is thought to represent peace and harmony coming into your life. The dream denotes that all of your concerns and sufferings will soon come to an end and that you’re about to enter a flourishing and blissful phase that will restore stability and balance to your life.
Dream of Breastfeeding Twins
A dream involving breastfeeding twins can be ominous. It reflects that you are not paying attention to your own needs and desires. This could also symbolize someone you love who might need your assistance and support right now.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Stranger’s Baby
This dream is usually linked with a job responsibility you have to take. It’s highly likely that the dreamer has decided to embark on a career-defining journey.
It can also be read in a different way. It could indicate that you are experiencing excessive anxiety over someone in your family and that you would like to help this person. Another way to interpret this dream is that someone in your immediate circle is not feeling well, and you’d like to help as much as you can.
Watching Someone Breastfeed
If you saw another person breastfeeding in your dream, this is said to serve as a warning to be careful and not to trust the people around you blindly. This dream is also often interpreted as a sign that your significant other might be cheating on you or going to betray you in the future.
Dream of Breastfeeding When You’re a Man
This type of dream is unusual because men generally don’t have any idea how it feels to breastfeed. Nevertheless, they still dream about breastfeeding, or it could be just milk dripping from their nipples. The latter is seen as a good indicator when it comes to their money-making ventures. However, if he dreams about breastfeeding a baby, it could signify that he is lonely or lacking support from his loved ones.
Dream of Breastfeeding After Abortion
After having an abortion, it’s natural for a woman to feel as if she has lost a piece of herself. This dream could be viewed as a representation of the remorse, vulnerability, loneliness, and anxiety the dreamer experiences or might have repressed afterward.
Dream About Being Breastfed
This dream usually denotes a high level of attachment to one’s mother and all the women in the dreamer’s immediate circle. One other interpretation is that the dreamer is hesitant to take adult responsibilities and prefers to return to a time in his life where he was taken care of by everyone.
Dream of Breastfeeding in Public
Dreaming of breastfeeding an infant in public is often regarded as a negative omen. The dream foreshadows the possibility of your secrets and hidden desires being revealed to the public. If you had a dream about breastfeeding a baby in public, it’s a sign that you need to be mindful of who you share your secrets with.
Dream of Breastfeeding an Abandoned Baby
This dream could be an indication that you are feeling lonely. You have alienated yourself because you perceive yourself to be different from everyone around you. In this dream, the abandoned baby is an embodiment of you, and breastfeeding represents the act of taking care of yourself in a way no one knows how or cares to.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Crying Baby
If you had a dream of trying to breastfeed a wailing infant, it was most likely a representation of your newly awakened creativity and the birth of fresh ideas. It can also be a manifestation of your emotional sensitivity because someone in your life is neglecting you.
According to some interpretations, it can also mean that you’re dissatisfied and unfulfilled with the current state of your life and that you don’t feel loved or connected to the people around you.
Dream of Arguing with a Breastfeeding Mother
This dream could be a reenactment of an incident from your past in which an older adult accused you of being ungrateful for everything they had done for you. It’s possible that your brain is considering all of the ways you could have stood up for yourself but chose not to.
Dream of Breastfeeding Blood
Breastfeeding blood represents the dreamer’s desire for cleansing and purification. The dreamer could be looking for a place to unwind. It could also be an indication that the dreamer is on the path of rediscovering their higher self and learning how to live a meaningful life.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Smiling, Healthy, Chubby Baby
This could indicate that some excellent news is on the way. The dream serves as clear evidence of successfully carried out plans. This dream may also suggest that you will start some new projects or continue the ones you have abandoned.
Dream of Forgetting to Breastfeed a Baby
This dream may represent a feeling of guilt or despair. Perhaps the dream is a result of losing something significant to you, like your career, or giving up on something to pursue something else. The dream might also be a reminder of a painful incident from the past that you have not yet processed and resolved. The dream serves as an instruction for you to confront these situations, solve them, and make peace with them.
Dream of Breastfeeding an Unusually Big Baby
If you have had a dream of nursing an exceptionally huge infant, it is possible that the dream represents a series of events that will significantly enhance your life. Additionally, it can refer to periods of relaxation and fulfillment following a stressful period of time.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Baby Who Needs a Diaper Change
The dream may indicate that you need to change certain aspects of your personality that are no longer serving you or causing harm to the people around you. You are well aware of this, but you don’t know how to make the necessary changes.
Dream of Breastfeeding a Sick Baby
According to some dream interpretation, having a dream of nursing a sick infant depicts how your bad habits are causing detrimental effects on your health and the environment. Having this dream most likely foreshadows a period of significant disappointments and bad experiences in the near future.
Dream of Breastfeeding Your Grandchild
This dream serves as an indication that you will live a long, fulfilling and tranquil life. It represents that you will live a good life surrounded by your family and the people you love.
Dreams of Breastfeeding an Animal
Catfish
Animals in dreams usually represent unconscious instinctual forces. With regard to catfish, they represent strength and determination to move forward in life. It can also represent a newfound sense of passion, joy, fulfillment, and gratitude.
Bird
A dream in which you are breastfeeding a bird means that you possess untapped physical potential. You are seeking spiritual balance, knowledge, and harmony, and your dream indicates that you are on your way. It’s possible that the dreamer is experiencing problems with fidelity or loyalty.
Kitten
Nursing a kitten in your dream heralds the arrival of harmony and the flourishing of creativity in your life. This dream also represents the anticipation of an upcoming journey. Moreover, it indicates that you are becoming more in touch with your intuitive part of yourself.
Dog
In a dream, breastfeeding a dog denotes a period of spiritual regeneration. It is also said to represent flighty thought and frivolous ideas. You’ve reached a new level of development and experiencing a turning point in your life. Additionally, it could indicate that you will be offered with another opportunity or chance.
Lamb
In Western culture, the lamb is traditionally understood to signify purity and innocence. Dreaming of breastfeeding a lamb demonstrates that you are a just person. It is an indication that you have the courage to stand up for the defenseless and the people you deem righteous.
Snake
A dream about a breastfeeding snake evokes feelings of depression and doom. This could also signify that you are nursing a toxic connection in your waking life and will be unable to gain peace of mind unless you sever ties with that individual.
Velociraptor
A dream involving a velociraptor usually signifies an intense fear that, when combined with other worries, isolates you and renders you utterly powerless to combat it. Additionally, it could just indicate that you are surrounded by people who are sucking the life out of you.
Breastfeeding Interpretations According to Different Cultures
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Islam
In Islamic culture, the dream of breastfeeding is usually associated with nursing, suckling, or incarceration. It could also portend that you would become overly emotional or that you will become an orphan. Moreover, if a woman finds herself nursing a man in a dream, it denotes imprisonment.
Breastfeeding a hunted or domesticated animal, on the other hand, implies impending calamity and misery. An elderly guy who dreams of seeing a woman’s breast can signify that bad news is on the way. An adolescent would find a romantic partner if he had this dream.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, nursing a child in dreams is a symbol of humility, warmth, and openness. It is also interpreted as an indication that your habits and compulsions are getting in your way and that you’re not acting in accordance with your moral principles. Additionally, this dream serves as a reminder that you need to set some goals and make some plans for your future.
Christianity
According to an evangelist dream interpreter, dreaming of breastfeeding a newborn is a form of spiritual attack. He claims that it’s the way of the devil to penetrate people’s lives and pollute their moral values. It could also mean that your marriage is in jeopardy.
Final Thoughts
Dream interpretation is rarely objective, and there’s still no agreement on the actual biological, psychological, neurological, philosophical, spiritual, supernatural cause and meaning of dreams. The exact mechanism of dreams and whether or not it has evolutionary advantage are also yet to be understood and uncovered.
Nonetheless, dreams can still be used to probe the subconscious. In psychoanalytic theory, dreams are associated with wish fulfillment, unconscious desires, and conflicts. During dream analysis, the therapist examines and interprets the dream’s content, linking it to symbolic associations that may elicit previously suppressed emotions. The purpose of this is to bring awareness to painful and abhorrent material, deconstruct it in order to understand them better, and protect its bearer against self-destruction.