Modern parenting has a new face, one full of Facebook moms and message boards. With these groups comes a new language of parenting acronyms and pregnancy abbreviations.
Mom message boards and groups are a great place to find friends, advice, and support. Moms have a safe space to ask questions, seek advice, and vent.
I love browsing the groups to learn new parenting tips, read hilarious encounters, answer questions others moms may have, or even commiserate with moms who are looking to get something off their chest. And if I’m being completely honest… I love reading the drama that can be stirred up by topics like vaccinations and circumcision.
Being part of the a family of Facebook moms can make you feel a little less alone on this parenting journey because, let’s face it, raising kids is hard!
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In This Guide:
Getting Started: Find Fellow Facebook Moms
If you’re new at this, I recommend starting by joining 4 groups in 4 different categories:
- A group that corresponds with your child’s birth month and year (or a pregnancy message board that matches your due date, if you are expecting) – all the parents in that group will have experiences with pregnancy/children at the same time as you and you can go through everything together.
- Local Facebook moms group – for local recommendations and meetups.
- A large mommy group – to provide you with a large resource for advice and companionship.
- Niche group – like “working moms” or “moms who run”. Something about yourself that you can use to bond with other moms.
Some of my personal favorite mommy groups are:
Working Moms Support Group
Kids’ Crafts & Activities
Mom Squad
Feeding the Littles
Parenting and Pregnancy Abbreviations
Those groups for Facebook moms speak their own language.
Join one and you may find yourself asking, “What does DS mean?” or “What’s the LO abbreviation?” (Pssst… it’s “dear son” and “little one”)
It’s time to learn the mom board lingo. Here are some of the most common parenting and pregnancy acronyms used on mom boards:
- AI = artificial insemination
- AP = attachment parenting
- BBT = basal body temperature
- BC = birth control (sometimes before children)
- BCPs = birth control pills
- BD = baby daddy
- BF = breastfeed (or boyfriend)
- BIL = brother-in-law
- BLW = baby-led weaning
- BM = breast milk (or bowel movement)
- CC = controlled crying
- CIO = cry it out
- CS = Cesarean section (sometimes seen as C/S)
- DC = daycare (or dear child)
- DD = dear daughter
- DH = dear husband
- DPO = days past ovulation
- DS = dear son
- EBF = exclusively breastfeeding (or extended breastfeeding)
- EBM = expressed breast milk
- EDD = estimated due date (or expected date of delivery)
- FF = formula feeding
- FIL = father-in-law
- FT = full time
- FTM = first time mom
- GD = gestational diabetes
- GF = gluten-free
- HPT = home pregnancy test
- IMHO = in my humble opinion (or IMO = in my opinion)
- IRL = in real life
- IUI = intrauterine insemination
- IVF = in vitro fertilization
- L&D = labor and delivery
- LO = little one
- MC = miscarriage (also M/C)
- MIL = mother-in-law
- ML = maternity leave
- NIP = nursing in public
- OP = original poster
- OPK = ovulation predictor kit
- OT = off topic
- POAS = pee on a stick
- PPD = postpartum depression
- SAHD = stay-at-home dad
- SAHM = stay-at-home mom
- SIL = sister-in-law
- SO = significant other
- TMI = too much information
- TTC = trying to conceive
- US = ultrasound (also U/S)
- VBAC = vaginal birth after cesarean section
- WAH = work at home (WOH = work out of the home)
- WM = working mom
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[…] the world of motherhood can feel like stepping into a new language with all the acronyms and abbreviations that moms use on various websites, boards, groups, and […]