A Guide to Pregnancy & Parenthood Acronyms

There are so many new things to learn and discover during pregnancy, including an almost entirely new dictionary of terms and abbreviations just to do with pregnancy, labour and birth. We have put together this handy guide explaining the most common pregnancy acronyms and birth terms that you might come across during your parenting journey.

You might have found this article after spotting one of these abbreviations used in your due date group on social media and searching online to find out what SAHM means or what EBF stands for. Perhaps your midwife mentioned the GTT at an appointment and you have forgotten what that involved, or you saw unfamiliar shorthand in your patient portal or doctor’s note.

Whether you are TTC, currently pregnant, or a first-time parent, navigating discussions about your menstrual cycle, maternity care, and newborn feeding can sometimes feel like learning a second language. From early discussions about birth control and ovulation through to creating your birth plan and meeting your care team on the labour ward, here is a clear list of abbreviations and phrases you are likely to stumble over.

[Post updated August 2026]

AF – Aunt Flo 

This is a common, informal term used in online support groups and fertility forums to refer to your period or the start of your menstrual cycle. Tracking the first day of your period helps healthcare providers calculate your weeks of pregnancy.

ART – Assisted Reproductive Technology 

This medical term encompasses all fertility treatments where eggs or embryos are handled outside the body to help individuals and couples facing fertility problems or fertility issues.

BBT – Basal Body Temperature 

This term is frequently used in fertility groups where people are tracking their cycle to get pregnant or to avoid pregnancy. It is used as part of natural family planning. You will often see people discussing checking their basal body temperature first thing in the morning. An incremental rise above baseline indicates that ovulation has occurred.

BD – Baby Dance 

A widely used online acronym for sexual intercourse when trying to conceive during your most fertile window.

BF – Breastfeeding or Breastfed

Used when discussing infant feeding methods, this refers specifically to feeding your baby breast milk directly at the breast. Sometimes seen as BFing.

BFN – Big Fat Negative 

In trying-to-conceive circles, BFN means getting a negative result on a home pregnancy test, showing that human chorionic gonadotropin has not been detected.

BFP – Big Fat Positive 

This refers to a positive result on a home pregnancy test, indicating that implantation has taken place and hormone levels are rising.

BH – Braxton Hicks

Often described as practice contractions or a temporary tightening of the uterus, Braxton Hicks are irregular tightenings help prepare your body for labour without dilating the cervix.

BUM – Baby Ultrasound Monitor

Occasionally used by healthcare staff and parents when referring to equipment used to monitor the fetal heart rate and movement of your unborn baby during clinic checks or labour.

CB – Cord Blood

When your baby is born, your midwife, doctor or phlebotomist may refer to cord blood. This is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth, which is rich in stem cells and can be collected and preserved for future medical use.

CD – Cycle Day

Used when tracking your cycle, CD1 refers to the first day of full menstrual bleeding.

CM – Cervical Mucus 

Changes in cervical mucus throughout the month help indicate fertile days, with clear, stretchy fluid often signalling that ovulation is approaching.

CS or C-Section – Caesarean Section

A surgical procedure where a baby is delivered through incisions made in the abdomen and uterine wall. It may be planned in advance or carried out as an emergency if a vaginal delivery is no longer safe.

DD – Darling Daughter

Often used in forums as shorthand for parents when talking about their daughter.

DS – Darling Son

Often used in forums as shorthand for parents when talking about their son.

DPO – Days Past Ovulation

A phrase used when counting the number of days after an egg is released from the ovary, often leading into the anxious wait before taking a pregnancy test.

DPT – Days Post Transfer

For those undergoing an IVF cycle, this tracks the number of days that have passed since an embryo transfer took place.

EBF – Exclusively Breastfed

Used when an infant receives only breast milk, either fed directly at the breast or through expressed milk in a bottle, without any formula, water, or solid food.

EBM – Expressed Breast Milk 

This refers to breast milk that has been removed from the breast using a manual or electric breast pump, or by hand expression, and stored for later feeds.

EDD – Estimated Due Date 

The predicted date that your baby will arrive. It is usually calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period, or confirmed at your dating scan during early weeks of gestation.

EP – Ectopic Pregnancy 

A serious medical condition where a fertilised egg implants outside the uterine cavity, most commonly within one of the fallopian tubes.

ER – Egg Retrieval

A procedure carried out at fertility clinics to collect mature eggs from the ovaries for use in vitro fertilisation or freezing.

ET – Embryo Transfer 

The stage in fertility treatments where a developing embryo is placed into the uterus in the hope that it will implant successfully.

FET – Frozen Embryo Transfer 

A treatment cycle where a previously cryopreserved embryo is thawed and transferred into the uterus.

FH – Fundal Height

The measurement in centimetres from the top of your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. Midwives check this during routine appointments to monitor how your baby is growing.

FHR – Fetal Heart Rate

The speed of your baby’s heartbeat, monitored during antenatal checks and throughout labour to ensure the baby is coping well.

FTM – First Time Mum

A common acronym across social media, forums, and parenting groups used by women who are expecting or raising their first child.

GBS – Group B Streptococcus

A common bacterium carried naturally by many pregnant women that is usually harmless, but may require intravenous antibiotics during labour to protect the baby during a vaginal birth.

GDM – Gestational Diabetes Mellitus 

A type of high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy and is diagnosed through screening tests arranged by your maternity team. Read more about gestational diabetes here.

GTT – Glucose Tolerance Test 

A blood test offered during pregnancy to screen for gestational diabetes mellitus. It involves having blood taken, drinking a sugary solution, and having further blood samples checked after a set rest period.

HCG – Human Chorionic Gonadotropin 

The hormone produced by the placenta after an embryo implants, which is detected by blood tests and home pregnancy tests.

HPT – Home Pregnancy Test 

An over-the-counter urine test used to detect the presence of pregnancy hormones.

HV – Health Visitor 

A qualified nurse or midwife who has undertaken additional training in community public health and child development. Your health visitor supports your family from the late stages of pregnancy through the early years of your child’s life.

IBCLC – International Board Certified Lactation Consultant 

A healthcare professional specialising in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation to help parents overcome feeding difficulties.

ICSI – Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection 

A specialised form of in vitro fertilisation where a single healthy sperm is injected directly into an egg to assist fertilisation.

IUI – Intrauterine Insemination 

A fertility treatment where prepared sperm is placed directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation.

IVF – In Vitro Fertilisation 

A widely used medical procedure where eggs and sperm are combined in a laboratory, with the resulting embryo transferred into the womb to achieve a healthy pregnancy.

L&D – Labour and Delivery

The hospital ward or maternity unit dedicated to care during labour, delivery, and immediate postnatal recovery.

LC – Lactation Consultant 

A specialist who provides education and practical guidance on chestfeeding, expressing, and positioning to help establish feeding.

LMP – Last Menstrual Period 

The date of the first day of your most recent period, used by healthcare professionals to establish gestational age and your estimated due date.

LO – Little One

A popular shorthand used in parent chat rooms and support groups when talking about a baby or young child.

MS – Morning Sickness 

Nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, which despite its name can occur at any time of the day or night.

MW – Midwife

A midwife is a healthcare professional who has specialised training in supporting women through pregnancy, childbirth, and the early weeks after delivery.

NICU – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 

A specialised hospital unit providing round-the-clock care for premature babies or newborns who need extra medical support after birth.

NVD – Normal Vaginal Delivery 

A birth where the baby is delivered through the birth canal and vaginal opening without the use of instruments such as ventouse or forceps.

OB-GYN – Obstetrician-Gynaecologist

A medical doctor who specialises in pregnancy, childbirth, and the female reproductive system, providing specialist care when complex needs or complications arise.

OP – Occiput Posterior

A fetal position where the back of the baby’s head is facing the mother’s spine, sometimes referred to as back-to-back, which can cause prolonged back labour.

PG – Pregnant

A simple abbreviation for pregnancy.

PIH – Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

A condition characterised by elevated blood pressure that arises during the second half of pregnancy, requiring close monitoring by your maternity team.

PN – Postnatal

The period of time immediately following birth, focusing on the health and recovery of the mother and newborn.

POAS – Pee On A Stick

A lighthearted phrase used in trying-to-conceive groups to describe taking a home pregnancy test.

PP – Postpartum

The postpartum period refers to the weeks following delivery as your body recovers and adjusts after giving birth.

PPD – Postpartum Depression 

A mental health condition that can develop during the postpartum period, causing persistent low mood, anxiety, and fatigue.

PPROM – Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes 

A medical condition where the amniotic sac breaks and amniotic fluid begins to leak before reaching full term at 37 weeks of gestation.

PUPO – Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise

A supportive phrase used in fertility circles during the two-week waiting period following an embryo transfer.

SAHM – Stay At Home Mum

A term used for a mother whose primary daily focus is caring for her children and running the family home.

SGA – Small for Gestational Age

A classification for babies whose estimated weight or fundal height falls below the expected range for their week of pregnancy.

SROM – Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes 

The normal breaking of waters, whether a sudden gush or a slow leak, occurring naturally at full term before or during labour.

STM – Second Time Mum

Used in parenting forums to describe a mother expecting or raising her second child.

TWW – Two Week Wait 

The period of roughly fourteen days between ovulation or embryo transfer and the date you can accurately take a pregnancy test.

TTC – Trying To Conceive

A phrase used by individuals and couples actively attempting to get pregnant.

US or USS – Ultrasound Scan

An imaging technique using sound waves to monitor fetal development, check the placenta, and assess fluid levels.

VBAC – Vaginal Birth After Caesarean

A vaginal delivery achieved by a woman who has previously given birth via caesarean section.

WAHM – Work At Home Mum

A mother who works from home while balancing family responsibilities.

If you stumble over any other pregnancy or parenting acronyms that you think should be included in our list, please let us know and we’ll add them!