Not smiling at 8 weeks

[nappysrock]

DD is 8+6 wks today and not smiling.
She does it in her sleep - but never when awake.
Went for 8wk baby check with GP yesterday and they've told me to come back in 2 weeks - if she's not smiling in 2 wks then they will refer her.
She was born at 37wks - I was induced due to preeclampsia, IUGR and oligohydraminos, she weighed 4lb 11oz and everything else with her development was absolutely fine and she's gaining weight along her centile curve.
Bit worried :(

[FGM]

friend's baby din't smile until 9.5 weeks and is fine
most are earlier but can be later
and when it happens it happens suddenly
I got so fed up with other mums telling me how early their babies smiled while waiting, agonising for DD1 to smile
please don't worry

[FoxyRevenger]

They are referring her for not smiling? And she is otherwise developing normally? I would have thought that seems like an over reaction, although I don't have any sort of medical background.

I have NO idea when my daughter smiled, none at all.

Your daughter is only 8 weeks, she can see about 10 inches in front of her, what's the rush for her to smile?

Sorry, I don't understand. I would be querying the need for further checks based on that alone.

This is from babycentre, just did a quick google:

"On average most parents say they see their baby's first smile between 6 and 8 weeks, though some are convinced their baby smiles from 4 weeks and others that there is no hint of a grin until 12 weeks."

[smashingtime]

My DD was just about smiling at 8 weeks but only consistently by 9/10 weeks. She also had problems before birth so I was really worried. She was laughing by 11 weeks though and is (cognitively) absolutely fine.

Hope she is smiling soon nappysrock - I can totally empathise with the worry..

[moreandmore]

My son was born slightly early, and was small 5lb 140z and apparently I had undiagnosed IUGR. I was worried about his smile, or lack of, and I remember around 8 weeks thinking I'd seen one, but not really...

I can't remember exactly when he did start but roll on to 20 weeks and he is constantly smiling! People remark on how contented he is - he smiles LOADS.

I know it's really hard not to worry - I'm neurotic about this sort of thing - but it will happen.

[nappysrock]

Thanks guys!
Foxy - yeah GP wants to refer her for just not smiling if she isn't doing so by 10 weeks - she's developing totally normally in every other way. Motor skills are great, head control brill, looking & responding to noises etc.

Up till she was 4 weeks old she only slept & fed! - she needed to sleep to grow coz she was so small.
She was never awake to be able to stimulate her social smile.
Its only been the last 3-4 weeks that she's been awake enough for us to interact with her.

My health visitor was a bit more reassuring yesterday - but still agreed on a referral in 2 weeks if not smiling. Ive asked what they would be looking for - but neither would answer?

[cupofteaplease]

Hi,

My dd was born at 37+5 and had a few problems here and there and spent time in SCBU. When she came home, I noticed she was a lazy little lady who didn't really seem to respond to much and wasn't smiling by 8 weeks. I was concerned she might have developmental delays. My HV was lovely and did some checks and said she WAS responding appropriately. She looked for lines on the palms of her hands- said the lack of smiling and no lines could be a sympton of a chromasonal disorder?? But she had the lines, so she told me to wait a bit longer.

I have no idea when she actually did start smiling, but she got there, and hasn't really stopped since. As for developing 'normally', well that didn't really happen as she is, in fact, a confirmed genius.

I'm sure your baby will be just fine too.

[smashingtime]

nappysrock - this is what they put the delay in smiling down to for my dd too. She slept for 6 weeks and didn't even really wake up to feed - we had to wake her and try and keep her awake long enough to have a bottle! I'm sure the sleep and hence the lack of social stimulation will have an effect. Hopefully now she's awake more you'll start to see a smile!

[TheVisitor]

Go by her corrected age, not by her actual age. It can make a difference. Her corrected age is 5wks6days, so not smiling at that age is not unusual. My triplets were 7 weeks early, and smiled around the 12/13 week mark.

[Sirzy]

DS was 9/10 weeks before he smiled.

[Bugsybez]

Nappysrock, I could have written your post myself! Please tell me how your little one got on. I have an 8 +5 week baby boy who is the same as your little one including birth weight and born at 36+6 because I had preeclampsia. He doesn't make eye contact, look at faces or smile but smiles and chuckles in his sleep!
Please give us an update on how you got on x

[duplofrenzy]

bugsybez,

DS1 didn't make eye contact/ fix and follow until 13 weeks (referred to eye clinic but nothing found and just turned out to be a late developer in that respect), and now totally normal.
DS2 didn't smile until 9+ weeks. Also normal.

Both term babies.
It is so easy to worry, I know I did lots, esp about DS1.
But hopefully reassureing for you to know that other babies don't meet milestones and then turn out just fine (mine now age 5 and 3)

I hope he is smiling and looking at you soon.

[BarbarianMum]

I was told that smiling is one of those things where the weeks in the womb count. So if your dd was born at 37 weeks you need to add those 3 extrs weeks on to the age when you'd expect a smile. In your dd's case that would be at about 9 weekd.

No idea if the above is true but it was with mine. Ds1 born at 38 weeks exactly, smiled at 8 eeeks. Ds2 14 days late smiled aged 3.5 weeks.

[eltoro]

My baby didn't really smile until about 9 months. In every photo he is just looking, expressionless. I felt like an idiot doing all the cooing/peekaboo and getting nothing in response. No eye contact either.
He's fine now (5 yrs old), though still has a very stony default position. But he CAN smile, and that is the main thing!
(P.S. Docs could refer to eye clinic- it turned out that my son had vision issues and probably couldn't see my idiotic, peekaboo expressions!)