IMHO, "meeting needs" is what both breastfeeding and parenting is all
about. If either a baby's needs or a mother's needs are not being met,
then something is wrong and needs "adjusting". Again, in my opinion, this
applies both to the issue of co-sleeping (which we've been writing about
a lot) and about the mom with tingling down her leg, as well as other
very strange and esoteric "symptoms".
This latter case strikes me
strongly as a woman who, probably for reasons of *survival*, has been very
wrapped up in herself and completely committed to her own needs. She
seems to be having trouble meeting the needs of her baby, thus her
strange complaints which seem to say "hey, I'm important too!" I would
handle her very carefully, since she may be on the verge of a crisis.

As for co-sleeping: If it "works" for a mom, if she's comfy with it, *if
it meets her needs as a nurturing mom* I
think it's great and she should be reassured that it's great. I myself
haven't been very comfortable lately with the line on this issue, but
perhaps I'm misreading people. I am not convinced that such great
emphasis should be placed on touted benefits of co-sleeping. For example,
it could cause a rift in a marriage if a mom misunderstands what it
really represents. It is not, in my opinion, a red flag for inappropriate
parenting if a mother gets up numerous times at night to nurse an infant
in another bedroom instead of having the baby in the conjugal bed. I was
quite comfortable with this. I simply would have been unable to sleep at all
with the baby in the bed since my
husband and I are such violent sleepers, thrashing around all night. I
would have been too worried. Am I nuts, or anybody like me out there? I
want to say that I'm jealous of all of you that have/are
co-slept/co-sleeping. Still, I don't feel that my kids have been deprived
of anything vital, but that may be Pride and Prejudice talking. Sorry for
the long and hot wind. Had to get it off my chest. Judy K. in Israel