Newborns who sleep for extended periods of time should be woken to eat. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to feed him or her until he or she gains weight, which normally happens during the first couple of weeks. Following that, it is safe to let your infant to sleep for greater lengths of time at night. Don't force-feed an infant if he or she does not eat during the waking period. It is normal for new parents to feel like they cannot go more than three or four hours without feeding their baby. However, it is important to remember that babies need to eat several small meals a day in order to grow properly. If you can only give your baby one large meal a day, he or she will still be getting the necessary nutrients needed to build healthy bones, muscles, and organs. Parents often wonder if it is okay to feed a newborn right after he or she is born. Most doctors recommend no more than two feeds within an hour after birth, because many new mothers do not produce enough milk after giving birth to satisfy their babies' needs. With some women, however, there is plenty of milk available after the second feed, so multiple feeds are possible. The amount of time between births determines how much milk a mother has. If she gave birth recently, she may not have any yet.