AF - An abbreviation meaning artificial feed.

 

ARM - Artificial rupture of membranes

BF - An abbreviation meaning breastfeed.

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B/P - An abbreviation meaning blood pressure.

BO - An abbreviation meaning that your baby has had his/her bowels open.

 

Ceph - Cephalic (Head down)

Colic - Severe pain in the abdomen caused by wind or obstruction in the intestines and suffered especially by babies.

Colostrum -The first secretions of the breast. Colostrum has high protein content and provides some immunity properties.

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CTG - Cardiotocograph (A tracing of your babies heart rate)

DBS - The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was established in 2012 and carries out the functions previously undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB.)
 

DFM - Diminished foetal movements

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DOB - Date of Birth

Doula – A professional labour support person or postpartum helper.

EDD - An abbreviation meaning the estimated date of delivery, for when your baby is due to be born.

EBM - An abbreviation meaning Expressed Breast Milk, referring to an infant who received breast milk expressed from the breast (either manually or via a pump)

Grunting - Soft short noises that your baby makes when breathing out. It can be a sign of difficulty in breathing.

Jaundice - Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and eyes, and can be very common amongst newborns. However, there are some cases where jaundice may be very dangerous to your newborn.

Low Birth Weight - Weighing less then 2500g at birth.

EBM - An abbreviation for Expressed Breast Milk, it only refers to an infant who received breast milk expressed from the breast (either manually or via a pump)

Meconium - Is the dark green substance forming the first faeces of a newborn infant.

Maternity Nurse - Is a skilled professional in supporting, caring for and teaching new parents how to care for their newborn baby.

Mixed Feeding -  Is when a baby is fed formula as well as breastmilk.

Mucus - Is a slimy substance, secreted by the mucous membranes and glands. 

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Night Nanny - Is another term for night maternity nurse.

Postnatal Care - Care for the baby following delivery.

Postnatal Depression - Is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby. It's a common problem, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth

Preterm - Baby is born before 37 weeks gestation.

PU - An abbreviation meaning that your baby has passed urine.

Reflux - Infant reflux occurs when food backs up (refluxes) from a baby's stomach, causing the baby to spit up. Sometimes called gastroesophageal reflux (GER), the condition is rarely serious and becomes less common as a baby gets older.

Tongue Tie - A malformation which restricts the movement of the tongue and can cause difficulty to breastfeed and possible speech impediment.

Vernix - Is a greasy deposit covering the skin of a baby at birth. It will. protect the newborn skin in the first postnatal week if not washed away after birth.

Weaning - When a baby is weaned from its mothers breast milk or bottle and introduced to solid foods.