Baby madda
Also spelled: baby mada, baby mudda, baby-mother
Meaning
The mother of a man's child or children, especially one he is no longer romantically involved with. It denotes the parenting relationship rather than a current partnership, unlike 'wife' or 'girlfriend'.
Examples
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“Mi affi go pick up di pickney from mi baby madda.”
I have to go pick up the child from my baby mother.
'affi' means 'have to'; 'pickney' means child.
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“Him an him baby madda nuh deh together no more.”
He and his baby mother aren't together anymore.
'nuh deh together' expresses no longer being in a relationship.
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“Mi baby madda a gimme trouble bout money.”
My baby mother is giving me trouble about money.
'a gimme' uses the continuous marker 'a' before the verb.
Origin
A calque from English 'baby's mother', widespread across Caribbean and African-American English, with the possessive dropped as is typical in Patois grammar.
How it's used
Everyday term in family and casual talk. Can sound dismissive if used to reduce a woman to only the mother of one's child; some prefer partner or her name in respectful settings.