Parent's Dictionary

The words new parents hear at the hospital, at nursery and on the forums at 3 a.m. Each one comes with what it means, how people use it and who says it.

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The First Days

Baby bluesThe baby blues are a few days of feeling low, tearful, anxious or irritable that are very common soon after a baby is born. They usually pass within two weeks of the birth.
BabymoonA babymoon is a holiday a couple takes before their baby is born. The word first meant something else: the calm early weeks parents spend at home with their newborn.
BabywearingBabywearing means carrying a baby close to your body in a sling, wrap or carrier. People also turn it into a verb and say they wear their baby.
ColostrumColostrum is the first milk the breasts make, usually thick and golden yellow, in the first few days after birth. It changes into mature breast milk within about two to four days.
Fourth trimesterThe fourth trimester is the first 12 weeks or so after a baby is born, a time of adjustment for the baby and recovery for the parent. The name treats those weeks as one more stage of pregnancy.
Golden hourThe golden hour is the first hour after a baby is born, when the baby lies skin to skin on the parent's chest. Midwives use it for keeping the two together that hour, often until the first feed.
Mom brainMom brain is the everyday name for feeling forgetful, foggy or scattered during pregnancy and after having a baby. Parents often blame a lost word or a forgotten errand on it.
Mom guiltMom guilt is the name for the guilt and shame mothers feel when they think they're falling short of their own or other people's expectations as a parent. The name points at moms, but any parent or caregiver can feel it.
Push presentA push present is a gift given to a mother to mark the birth of her baby, usually by her partner and often jewelry. The name comes from pushing in labor.
Rainbow babyA rainbow baby is a baby born after the loss of an earlier baby, through miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. The name comes from the rainbow that follows a storm.
Skin-to-skinSkin-to-skin means holding a baby naked, or in just a diaper, against a parent's bare skin, usually under a top or a blanket. Maternity staff offer it straight after birth, when it helps keep a baby warm and calm.
Top-upA top-up is extra milk, expressed breast milk or formula, given alongside breastfeeds. It's a UK word, used by the NHS, midwives and parents.
Touched outTouched out describes feeling overwhelmed by physical touch after hours of holding, feeding and being climbed on by a baby or small child. Parents use it for the point where they need their body to themselves for a while.

Feeding

Sleep

The Body

Growing

Nursery

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