Meaning
The mother of a man's child or children — especially one he is no longer romantically involved with. Like its counterpart 'baby fadda', it names the parenting bond rather than a current partnership, so 'him baby madda' is the woman he has a child with, distinct from a 'wife' or 'girlfriend'. It belongs to the everyday, matter-of-fact vocabulary of Jamaican family life, marking the lasting connection of shared children that continues after a relationship has ended, with all its ties and tensions.
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.