“Newborn Smile” explained in 4 pictures

It had been a few days since we came home from the hospital. We still weren’t used to the late-night feedings. If the baby cried, we held them; after they drank, we burped them; just when we thought they were asleep, they cried a little again. Every time we looked at the clock, we went back and forth between, “Is it still this early?” and “Is it already this late?” On one of those nights, the baby in my arms suddenly became quiet.

🤔 During the newborn stage, did you ever lose your sense of time while caring for your baby at night?

At that moment, the corners of the baby’s mouth lifted just a little. Not exactly a smile—more like a smirk. When I whispered, “Did the baby just smile?” the person who had looked so sleepy woke up instantly. Together, we held our breath and tried to see that face one more time.

🤔 Have you ever seen a tiny expression on your baby’s face and hurried to call your family over?

By the time we hurriedly pointed the smartphone at the baby, that face had already returned to the usual sleeping expression. All that was left on the screen was one slightly blurry baby cheek. “You saw that face, right?” “I saw it, I saw it,” we said, somehow sounding like we were confirming witnesses. I had heard that a newborn smile is something like a reflex, but even so, my heart felt a little lighter.

Near morning, even after the baby finally fell asleep, we watched that sleeping face for just a little while longer. I don’t know whether that little smirk had any special meaning. But on a night when we were exhausted from lack of sleep, it felt like a reward the baby had given us. It wasn’t captured in a photo, but it became one of our first tiny family memories—one we would want to talk about again and again.

🤔 Is there an expression your baby made that wasn’t captured in a photo, but still remains in your heart?