Do babies dream even before birth?

Without doing any research, my guess is no. Since I think we remember our dreams as "visual" experiences and there is no light within the womb, how could the baby possibly be dreaming? We are told that REM sleep involves dreaming. Maybe it involves something more than that like emotion, pleasure, or discomfort.

Answer:

Yes, it is very possible that fetuses dream before birth. Neuro-scans of late term unborn babies show that they go through regular cycles of sleeping and waking while in the womb, including periods of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Because dreams are not limited to visual images, but include all types of sensation including hearing and bodily motion, it is not unreasonable to expect that at some point in gestation, perhaps late in the third trimester, a fetus might dream of sounds and other impressions. Moreover, once visual organs are well-developed there is no reason to assume that the unborn child would not be aware of changing lights and shadows. See the link below for further information.