Say what? Our guide to the confusing abbreviations on parenting forums

They'd leave your head in a spin.

Whether you're TTC; looking for advice because you're EBF; or just want to let off some steam about your DH; if you're a parent, or pregnant, and trawling through the infinite number of forums in search of what you need, then you'll know that there's an acronym for almost everything nowadays. Unless you’re well-versed in acronym speak (this is not the technical term), however, you might run into difficulty, or confusion, over some of the definitions. It's helpful to know, for example, that BF stands for 'breastfeeding' as well as 'boyfriend'; and, in parenting forums, FTM stands for 'first-time mum' rather than 'female to male' transsexual. Trying to participate in online communities without this knowledge can be like trying to understand a foreign language without a dictionary on hand to translate. This categorised list of some of the most common acronyms used in parenting forums will help parents and parents-to-be crack the code and speak the lingo: Pregnancy TTC – trying to conceive POAS – peeing on a stick PG – pregnant, or pregnancy BFP – big fat positive BFN – big fat negative AF – Aunt Flo (menstruation) BBT – basal body temperature CD – cycle day CF – cervical fluid CM – cervical mucus EWCM – egg white cervical mucus EDD - estimated due date LP – luteal phase O – ovulation O’d – ovulated MC – miscarriage CS – caesarean section DPO – days past ovulation OPK – ovulation predictor kit   Parenting AP – attachment parenting BF – breastfeeding (also boyfriend) BM – breast milk, or bowel movement CIO – cry it out EBM – expressed breast milk FF – formula feeding SAHM – stay-at-home mum WAHM – work-at-home mum EBF – exclusively breastfeeding PND – postnatal depression EBM – expressed breast milk   Family DD – dear daughter DS – dear son DH – dear husband DP – dear partner LO – little one MIL – mother-in-law FIL – father-in-law OH – other half Phrases BRB – be right back OT – off topic TIA – thanks in advance IMHO – in my humble opinion KWIM – know what I mean PP – previous poster TMI – too much information