when did your nb start showing affection?

[mjhavin]

(Since this has to do with breastfeeding and her behavior in general, I posted this 2 places!)

Okay, okay, I don't want to be a person who complains about their child over and over again (I know how blessed I am to have her!) but now that Lizzy is 5 weeks, I thought we'd be seeing some smiles or delight from her. Keep in mind that she has always been a predictable, (nursing times, sleeping times,) and somewhat "serious baby" (think of the nerdy guy from Legally Blond who always says "Well, I don't know..." lol) who is very alert and observant. However, when we're playing with her, she looks at us with a kind of confused look, never a smile or cooing sounds, etc. According to the books, we should be seeing a responsive smile by now, but we're not. She smiles while she's sleeping or she'll smile at me while we're cuddled up together and she's half asleep but it seems that when she wakes up all the way (usually crying) she kind of "clams up."

This is also true when we're feeding. She keeps her eyes closed most of the time and when she does look at me, it's briefly, kind of like "are you still there?" I keep hearing about bf increasing the bond and I feel like I'm doing my part (stroking her head, feet, belly and talking to her while we nurse) but I'm wondering when nb's start showing affection back? And, if most newborns do and mine is just reserved, can anyone tell me if this changes over time (from your experience with a reserved baby?)

She loves to be held/worn in the sling--I can tell because it answers her cue, not because she shows any sign of delight--and is very attached to me and my husband. In fact, she's kind of a velcro baby but we're doing AP, so that's okay.I know that newborns are still getting used to the world, so maybe this is normal, but if it is, when did your child start showing affection/happiness. If it's not normal but your child was like mine, what eventually happened and what was their later personality like? Were there any difficulties because they were "slow to warm up?"

Just be clear, this is just a curious question, not anything that bothers or concerns me!

[RobynJ]

I think it was about 7 or 8 weeks. But by 4 months you can tell I am the center of his world. It took time. But it did happen. Now he is a happy cuddly baby- that loves smiling and being with his mama.

hang in there mama!

[ForCryingOutLoud]

Isabelle didn't start to smile until around 6 weeks. And by 2 1/2 months she gets a huge smile just seeing me. She is already showing that she prefers me over her daddy, but I think that has to do with me nursing her and I am her food supply and I am around her a lot more since I WAH. It will come. 5 and 6 weeks is early for smiles, so it will come!