@Beau I don't think you have to study much, tbh. I think the eyes do probably need to be farther apart, but you clearly know your proportions really well already. I think it's a matter of what is emphasized, and in that case it's a matter of deciding IF you want to change things. Your illustration does communicate that feeling, but I think the way I took it was a little more universal in its concept - like no matter who you are, if you're close to a baby there is pleasure in just holding that baby. I got that from the expression on her face, and it's what led me to comment 🙂
So then when I looked at it more closely, i noticed all the details about holding a baby that were so familiar, i just love those little things. I love the way newborns have things about them that aren't that perfect rounded chub of a four month old! But the accuracy of the baby emphasizes the baby in a way that you might not have intended. And it's not quite consistent with some of the choices you have made with the mother. Although she has strong looking arms, her head is a bit bigger than normal proportions, so it felt like the main concept was her feeling of holding the baby.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think you know your proportions pretty well (to check what you would like to do, maybe scale down the mother's features to the size of the baby's head and see if they are similar with eye placement) and you know how to render things accurately, but it's a matter of deciding your emphasis (I personally think it should be on the feeling of the mother holding the baby, not on the baby, because most of us don't remember that as babies) and then adding detail or taking away detail to communicate your concept.
Will Terry has mentioned having had this very same problem at first! I don't know exactly when he mentioned it in the 3 point perspective podcast, but it amazed me because I know he has always known how to draw! So basically, there is an element of illustrating that is purposely taking away detail and leaving things un-rendered, and that does seem to apply to babies. Especially with artists that know how to precisely render things.
I keep getting pulled away, so if my distinction between studying proportions and deciding on emphasis doesn't make any sense, please let me know!