[indigo~]

Hi, DD is 13w today but was premmie so is 6w5d corrected age.

She's still not interested in looking directly at me, preferring to look over my shoulder or anywhere else really but at me. It's like she avoids eye contact. If I move my face into her field of vision, it still doesn't capture her attention.

She does still have drifting eyes at times, especially the left eye. The paed said that can take up to 4mo for the eye muscles to strengthen and to stabilise.

She also doesn't really smile, especially not at me. I can count on one hand the number of smiles I've seen and they've been when she's looking elsewhere.

I guess I'm just wondering if others have had bubs that took awhile for this to behavior to start?

I can't help but start to wonder if there's some sort of sight impairment or developmental issue. I'm a worry wort.

Thanks.

[lucky 2]

When is your next appt for follow up at the Hospital or with the Paed? I think you need to be asking these questions of him/her/them (if it's a team). Could you ring someone?

I don't know about prems but would you like me to move this topic to the Babies born early forum, I think you might get more responses there from other mums with prems.
Just let me know in this thread or via pm and I can easily move it if you wish.
All the best.

[Giltine]

DD will be 14 weeks on Tuesday (not prem, so I don't know if that makes a difference), and while she has the smiling thing happening she doesn't make eye contact. Mostly she stares at the top of my head, or turns her head to look at a wall or a piece of furniture. If I move around to make her look, she'll look away. Though people tell me she looks at me when I'm not looking at her.

[MrsDamonSalvator...]

OP, ethan was born at the exact same gestation. He took FOREVER to be able to focus on people, look them in the eyes, hold focus on objects and smile at people. he was probably close to 4 months old? i spoke to the health nurses and we got his eyes checked out etc and they said he was doing fine and he just needed a bit longer to develop.he has no problems what so ever now

[indigo~]

Thanks for the replies! Our next paed appt is on Tuesday and these questions are on my list. I just wondered whether others had similar experiences.

Thanks lucky2, if you think it would be better in the other forum it would be great if you would please move it.

[FiFiLicious]

So, if you look at charts for a 6 week old, smiling eye contact ( focussing) milestones tell you that your baby might smile but it's not necessarily something all 6 wkers will do. I go by corrected age for all these things. I found the first 5 months of DSs life so hard because he was forever a " newborn"!! Smiling is one of those little things that make the newborn crap worthwhile, and I waited and waited and waited! 7 months on, he is all smiles but I work very hard for a giggle / laugh. It's hard to be patient but it will come as will all the other milestones - eventually! DS was born at 32 wks

[summermama]

My DS is refluxy so we barely saw a smile for the first 6 weeks at all either, and he much preferred to stare at our vertical blinds more than us. Happy to report he was recently written up by our paed as having a 'beautiful engaging smile' , but I wouldn't have believed it possible a couple of months ago. I was getting worried too, as he just didn't seem to be social. But 6 weeks is still so little.

This post has been edited by summermama: 12/12/2012, 05:13 AM

[*lightning]

I don't have a prem baby but my DS3 recently had his 6 week check and I was told that not all babies smile at this stage. My DS3 started smiling right on the 6 week mark and makes eye contact with lots of smiles but I also remember my DS2 took a week or so more to do these things.

Get baby checked but keep in mind that your baby might take a couple more weeks to smile and make eye contact with you.

[BabyZ]

Another one here with a 33 weeker, it took dd about 3 - 4 months to make eye contact and smile. Sounds all normal op, give it time and follow the corrected age for developmental milestones.

[aphraell]

DD was a 33 weeker and I don't think she smiled until about 7 or 8 weeks corrected and eye contact was about the same time

Now she is a highly social, very very happy little 19 month old girl who doesn't stop smiling!