My newborn sleeps 4-5hrs. Should I wake him since he needs to eat every 2-3hrs?

You mentioned that you have a brand new born baby and he's sleeping about 4-5 hours at a time during the day but you've been told to nurse him every 2-3 hours. You're wondering if you should wake him up. And in the beginning, it is good to wake your baby if they're not arousing regularly throughout the day to feed them. And as they get a little bit older, they'll start to learn that if they eat more during the day, they can sleep more at night. So it's good to develop these sorts of habits. Generally speaking, newborn babies want to eat every 2-3 hours and so if your baby is hard to arouse, is not eating well or refusing feedings, these are all reasons to talk with the pediatrician. It's always a good idea to ask your pediatrician about how many feedings are appropriate according to your baby's growth trends and needs as well. For example, a very skinny baby who was born underweight may need to eat more frequently and need to be woken up more regularly than a baby who was born with a little bit of extra padding. Those babies may be okay to sleep through the night if they start to do that sooner rather than later. Good luck with everything and if you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at facebook.com/intermountainmoms and recommend us to your friends and family, too.