My baby doesn’t hate me. That’s what some parents have to repeat to themselves over and over again when they hear the cringe worthy screams and cries throughout the night. When you give and give and your baby gives you nothing in return except for sleepless nights it might feel like he/ she hates you.

Yet, you’d be surprised to learn that wailing all night long is not a sign that your baby hates you. Your newborn has other sly ways of letting you know that they dislike you.

Just like your baby has ways to let you know that they don’t like you, your newborn also has plenty of ways to let Mommy know that you are loved! Your newborn has been paying attention and learning subtle ways to express themselves. They’ve learned who you are and that you’re the person who takes care of them, comforts them, and will always be there for them when they have a need. For all that you’ve given to them, they find subtle ways to give back the love that you give to them. And, you know what, it’ll make your heart sing with joy when your little one expresses their love for you at an early age.

15 Copying Your Facial Expressions

Face time is how your baby learns about facial expressions. Spend time close up and you’ll notice that your baby begins to mimic your facial expressions. If you smile all the time, most likely you’ll have a very smiley baby. Your little one is trying to be just like the person they love more than anyone else in the world; and that’s Mommy! Mimicking your actions won’t be a habit that’ll leave anytime soon, as you’ll notice that your baby will try to emulate you for years to come. Copying your facial expressions is how it all begins, by trying to match their face to yours. Mimicking you is also very important for their development. Within days your baby will learn how to discriminate between different facial expressions. And, if your baby loves you, she’ll try to copy you when you smile and copy your gestures of love.

14 Slobbering (They’re Kisses)

Your newborn will try to copy everything that you do and perhaps one of the cutest ways they’ll try to be just like you is by giving you a kiss. Yes we know that it won’t exactly start off as a kiss. It’ll feel more like they’re trying to suck your cheek off. You’ll love it just the same, because you’ll know that they’ve put two-and-two together to realize that kisses are a sign of love. And, your baby is just trying to show you that he or she loves you. They haven’t quite mastered the puckering lip motion yet, but don’t worry, that’ll come sooner than you think. Until then, enjoy your cheek being wet and bit by hard gums as they find ways to say, ‘I love you Mommy’.

13 Staring At You

A baby’s love is all about gazing deep into your eyes. Hold your baby close and see where her eyes land. Is she staring at you? Maybe, they’re trying to see your soul? Or, it could be that since newborns don’t have the best eyesight, they’re just trying to make out and memorize your face. Your newborn is much better at sound when he/she is first born. But, don’t be fooled, they’ll only stare at objects that they’re interested in. You might think that babies are interested in everything, but just try to get their attention with a toy that they’re less than thrilled with. They’ll turn away. So, if you’re baby is keeping one eye on you, take it as a compliment, Mom. Your face fascinates your baby, because she’s in love with you.

12 Latching on

Some babies have a hefty appetite, while others use breastfeeding as a means to feel comforted. For instance, when they’re in a crowded, loud, or new area, they might try to feed even if they aren’t particularly hungry. They just want to hear the sound of your voice, feel your touch, and bound with the one person in the world that they love more than anyone else! Okay, we’re sure that they love Daddy too, but a mom’s bond is extra special, because of the chance for this connection. So, enjoy the moment and further cement the bond by putting your finger in your baby’s hand. Stroke the top of his or her head and talk or sing softly. Let your newborn know that you love him as much as he loves you.

11 Half-A-Second Smile

Your Instagram feed is probably full of your friends’ newborns giving off half-smiles. Us moms get pretty excited the minute our babies are able to muster up that milestone half-a-second smile. It’s a sign of love and a bonding moment when we realize that they love us as much as we love them. It also makes all those sleepless nights and messy chores feel worth it. We’re not thinking about our stained t-shirts or wondering when we last had time for a shower. We’re focused on that half-a-second connection where they’ve responded to our facial expressions. And, guess what moms, while it usually happens around 6-weeks, your baby can begin smiling intentionally as early as 4-weeks! So, look out at the one-month mark for the moment your baby smiles back at you.

10 Seeks Your Comfort

As a mom to a newborn, you’ll wear many hats and one of them will be a comfort blanket. When your baby is frightened, stressed, or hurt, or a noise is too loud, they’ll seek you out for comfort. Your baby knows that you’re there to love them, take care of them, and comfort them when life gets a little scary. So, they’ll seek you out when they need to feel safe and sound. Simply picking your baby up can squash a crying fit and a quick cuddle can sweep tears away. It’s a pretty amazing super power to have when you think about it. You have the ability to soothe and make someone happy simply by your presence. When you walk into the room, your baby sees you as ‘Wonder Woman’ and wants to be around you, near you, and with you… all the time.

9 Crying When You Leave The Room

Who’d have though that your baby crying is a sign of love. As long as they cry when you leave the room and not when you bend down to pick them up (all of the time), their tears are probably a sign of love for you. In fact, science even proves it. Your newborn has just entered an entirely new world, leaving the comfort of the womb behind. So, they seek out the comfort of your voice and touch to help them transition. When you leave the room, it’s almost as if you’re taking away their comfort blanket, which is you. So, spoil your baby with kisses and cuddles. Soothe tears away with your soft voice. Let him or her know that you’ll be back soon. Then, watch how your baby get’s excited upon your return.

8 Happy When You Come Back

Yay! You’re back and your baby is just as excited as you are. You could say that they ‘light up’ when you enter the room. After all, you’re the bestest person on the whole wide planet! They’ll wiggle out of someone else’s arms to be held by you even if they were content a second ago. If they’re lying down they’ll probably wave their arms and legs excitedly, smile, and giggle just to show just how happy they are to see you. Enjoy this gesture of love, because while they might like other people, Mommy and Daddy are the ones that they love and not everyone will receive this joyous welcome back. Get excited with your little one too to let them know that you’re happy to be back and pull them close for kisses.

7 Using You As A Shield

New people and places can be scary for your newborn. They’re still figuring out whether or not they like the world. Yet, one thing that they know for sure is that they love and trust you. They’ll look to you for reassurance and cling to you when a situation feels a little intimidating. They’ll clamp onto you when you try to pry them into the arms of someone they’re not too thrilled to be around. You’ll also notice when they begin to crawl they’ll always crawl back to you and sometimes just hang close to where you are. When they stand up on their own, they’ll hide behind you when they see someone unfamiliar or scary. It’s actually kind of cute, watching your baby bury her face into 'mommy the shield’ when someone new gives an overly enthusiastic ‘hi’.

6 Trying To ‘Talk’ To You

By now you know that your baby is really excited to try to tell you that they love you. What other ways do they show their love, by trying to say the words themselves? No wonder baby’s first words are usually ‘daddy’ and ‘mommy’. Around 2 months, your baby will try chatting with you. They’ll be breathy coos and vowels that they’ve learned from listening to you. Yet, wait for it, if you talk back when they pause, they’ll make more sounds. Eventually, you two can have a real ‘conversation’. Your baby is excited to learn how to communicate with you and is listening and watching you just like you’re listening to her. So, keep up the good work mom. Your newborn is working hard to be able to say, ‘I love you.’

Five Sighs Baby Hates You

5 Won’t Look At You

Now, that we’ve finished with all the lovey dovey stuff, let’s talk about the signs that your baby doesn’t like you. One way you’ll know that your baby is less than thrilled with you is when they won’t look at you. Cradle your baby and bring your faces a few inches apart. How does your baby react? Does he stare at you or look elsewhere? Babies have no problem turning away from something or someone that they are not interested in. If your baby isn’t following you and keeping an eye on you, chances are they may not love you. If you’re a mom who struggled with feelings of detachment when your child was born, your child could also reflect these feelings. They haven’t bonded with you and see you just as every other human being they’ve come in contact with.

4 Won’t Kiss You

Being a parent to a newborn is a moment of sheer bliss and extreme tiredness. Yet, when your baby gives you that first cuddle, smile, and kiss, it all feels worth it. Now, if your baby is already flexing their teenager muscles and refusing to kiss you it can be disheartening. It might feel like your baby hates you. Yet, ask yourself, have you been giving your little one enough kisses. After all, watching us is how they learn. If you find that your newborn still isn’t picking up on the hints of how to express her love, then yep she might just genuinely hate kisses… or you. Try giving hugs and smiling to show affection. Does she reciprocate? Again, if your baby isn’t into giving hugs or kisses; she might just genuinely dislike you. Sorry Momma!

3 Doesn’t Want You To Pick Him / Her Up

What does it mean if your baby doesn’t want you to pick him / her up? If your child cries every time you reach down to pick her up, chances are she isn’t looking to you for comfort. Perhaps, you’re a mom who had to go back to work and your newborn spends the majority of her time with a nanny. She might equate someone else with being the person that she is comforted by. After all, those first few months are when bonds are formed for your newborn. So, try squeezing in any extra time with your baby- lunch feedings, middle-of-the-night cuddles, bath time, etc. Spending time with your newborn is the best way to bond and we’re sure she’ll lift her arms up for mommy to pick her up in no time.

2 Doesn’t Notice When You Leave The Room

There are some babies who can be asleep and wake up crying the minute their mom’s foot crosses over the doorframe. Then, there are those other babies who doesn’t even notice or care that mommy has left the room. It might be a little depressing when you see how attached all the other babies are. Sure, some kids are just more independent than others. Or, your child might have already realized that you’ll be back soon and doesn’t worry about you leaving. It could also be that their personality is not particularly clingy or needy. The worst-case scenario is that your baby simply does not love you and hasn’t formed a bond with you to care where you are. Most likely if that’s true, your baby will also find other ways to let you know such as refusing kisses and being picked up by you.

1 Refuses To Latch On For Breastfeeding

We realize that this is a sensitive issue. There are dozens of reasons why your baby won’t latch on for breastfeeding. And, one of them could be that your baby hates you. Babies have feelings too and if they feel neglected by you they’ll treat you the same way. One way they’ll do this is by refusing close contact with you. Breastfeeding is bonding and comforting to your baby. That skin-to-skin contact is a moment to be near someone who they love more than anyone else in the world. If you don’t give your baby enough time and love, they’ll reject you. They’re humans with feelings too and your relationship with them is a 2-way street just like everyone else. So, be sure to let your baby know that they are loved and that you want to spend time with them.

Sources: LiveScience.com, Babble.com, BabyCenter.com, WhatToExpect.com