What she said: translating mum-talk
Excuse me, but what’s that acronym? Conception, pregnancy and parenting open up a whole new world of information, including a seemingly foreign language. Christine Stride translates.
Mummy message boards have their own language, so you’ll need to learn the lingo if you want to join in. Whether you’re TTC by ART or FTPG with a case of GD, there’s an online forum buzzing with others just like you. From the comfort of your couch, you, Babycakes, MissionBump and LoLa1985 can chat about everything from whether it’s normal to crave charcoal, to how often you’ve had to pee already this morning. These forums come with their own coded language, one that shortens those lengthy clinical descriptions, and helps lighten the serious nature of some of the issues surrounding conception and pregnancy.
Here’s our code-breaker for those acronyms:
| AF | Aunt Flo (your period) |
| AI | Artificial insemination |
| AIH | Artificial insemination with husband’s sperm |
| ART | Assisted reproductive technology |
| BOB | Baby on board |
| BBT | Basal body temperature (if you’re charting your fertility, this is your temperature when you first wake up in the morning) |
| BC | Birth control |
| BCP | Birth control pill |
| BDD | Baby doing disco |
| BD | Baby dance (sex) |
| BF | Breastfeeding |
| BFN/P | Big fat negative/positive on your pregnancy test |
| BLW | Baby-led weaning |
| BW | Blood week (having your period) |
| CD | Cycle day |
| CM | Cervical mucus |
| CSMF | Can't see my feet |
| CIO | Cry it out |
| DCC | Delayed cord clamping |
| DH/F/P | Dear husband/fiancé(e)/partner |
| DD | Dear daughter |
| DS | Dear son |
| DI | Donor insemination |
| DPO | Days past ovulation |
| DTBD | Doing the baby dance (sex) |
| EBM | Expressed breast milk |
| EDD | Estimated date of delivery (due date) |
| EP | Ectopic pregnancy (when a fertilised egg attaches somewhere outside the uterus) |
| ER | Egg retrieval |
| ET | Embryo transfer |
| FTM | First-time mum |
| FF | Formula feeding |
| FTPG | First-time pregnancy |
| GD | Gestational diabetes |
| HPT | Home pregnancy test |
| HTH | Hope that helps |
| IUI | Intra-uterine insemination (involves a laboratory procedure to separate speedy sperm from sluggish or non-moving sperm, and place them in the uterus to boost chances of fertilisation) |
| IVF | In-vitro fertilisation (where an egg is fertilised by sperm in a test tube or elsewhere outside the body) |
| LO | Little one |
| LP | Luteal phase (the second part of the menstrual cycle – the time between ovulation and your period) |
| ML | Maternity Leave |
| MC | Miscarriage |
| MS | Morning sickness |
| NFP | Natural family planning, or the rhythm method |
| NTNP | Not trying/not preventing – letting nature take its course |
| NTPA | Need to pee again |
| OBB | OHbaby! |
| OWT | Old Wive's Tale |
| OPTK | Ovulation Predictor Test Kit |
| PG | Pregnant |
| POAS | Pee on a stick |
| RPL | Recurrent pregnancy loss |
| SAHM/D | Stay at home mum/dad |
| SB | Stillbirth |
| TWW | Two week wait (after insemination) |
| TTC | Trying to conceive |
| US | Ultrasound |
| VBAC | Vaginal birth after Caesarean |
| WMPS | Wet my pants sneezing |
FYI, former SAHM Christine Stride is AKA OHbaby! online content manager, and mum to two DDs
AS FEATURED IN ISSUE 38 OF OHbaby! MAGAZINE. CHECK OUT OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE BELOW
