“Back in my day, we didn’t have…” “Back in the day there weren’t…” Since the birth of our child, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it all. From my mom, my mother-in-law, and anyone else from generations past – what they didn’t have, what they wished they’d had, what would’ve made life easier for them had they had it. And I don’t disagree with them. In fact, I’d say that the most lacking “back in the day” had to have been the availability of information, and the exchange thereof. At the risk of dating myself, when my mother had me, the internet was still an unknown to the general public. Computers were a rarity, there was no internet to jump on, no Google to search. The only way information was exchanged was by word of mouth. If you had a question, you asked your doctor, your mother, or your friends. And if they didn’t have an answer for you, then you were left to the torment of your worry-laden thoughts.

But it’s different now. Today, we have internet, we have Google, and we have Siri. And thanks to smartphones, we have a trove of information right at our fingertips. With these technological advancements came the birth of blogs, social media, and countless websites. And in these recent years, the webosphere has seen an explosion of blogs, forums and message boards dedicated solely to Moms, Moms-to-Be and, yes, even Dads. They are places where mostly women (and sometimes, men) gather to ask each other questions about parenthood, share their experiences, support each other, and more often than not, simply vent. Because we all need to do that every once in a while. And what better place to do it than in a group of people that can empathize with you?

But good luck partaking in the chatter if you don’t speak the lingo. In this community of screen names and profile pictures, it’s as if there is a language all of its own. Wait, not “as if,” there IS a language all its own. Because learning to care for a newborn isn’t enough already; in order for moms to be able converse on these boards, they need to learn this new language. So, in an effort to help you MAN’s (Mommy Acronym Novices) out there, here’s my alphabetized list of commonly used Mommy forum terms.

AI – Artificial insemination

AP – Attachment Parenting

ART – Assisted reproductive technology

BBT – Basal body temperature

BC – Birth control

BF – Breastfeeding

BFN – Big fat negative (referencing a pregnancy test)

BIL – Brother-in-Law

BRU – Babies ‘R’ Us

CC – Controlled crying

CD – Cloth diaper

CIO – Cry it out

CVS – Chorionic villus sampling

DA – Diary allergy

DD – Dear daughter

DF – Dear fiancé

DH – Dear husband

DPO – Days past ovulation

DS- Dear son

DTD – Do the deed

EBF – Exclusively breastfeeding

EBM – Expressed breast milk

EDD – Estimated due date

EN – Extended nursing

EP – Ectopic pregnancy

FF – Formula fed

FIL – Father-in-Law

FTM – First time mom

GD – Gestational diabetes

GF – Gluten free

HPT – Home pregnancy test

IUI – Intrauterine insemination

IVF – In vitro fertilization

LO – Little one

LP – Luteal phase

MC – Miscarriage

MIL – Mother-in-Law

ML – Maternity leave

MM – Mothers’ milk

MS – Morning sickness

NAK – Nursing at the keyboard

NIP – Nursing in public

O – Ovulation

OP – Original poster

OT – Off topic

OWT – Old wives tale

PG – Pregnant

PIS – Pump in style (reference to a type of Medela breast pump)

POAS – Pee on a stick

SAHM – Stay at home mom

SB – Still birth

STTN – Sleep through the night

TIA – Thanks in advance

TRU – Toys ‘R’ Us

TTC – Trying to conceive

US – Ultrasound

VBAC – Vaginal birth after cesarean

WAHM – Work at home mom

WOHM – Work out of home mom

WM – Working mom

So whether you’re TTC, or a FTM already, whether you’re reading this as you’re NAK, or pumping on your PIS, now you’re better prepared to venture into the Mommy webosphere. Good luck, have fun and most importantly, please don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut.