It is typical in our society that night waking is seen as a problem.  Of
course mothers are tired if the baby wakes at night.  But it is not a
problem for the child, and this Ferber method of "making" a baby sleep
through the night is merely a variation of the old "let him cry himself
to sleep".  It should be noted that this technique is based on the
experience of Dr. Ferber, and is not backed up by studies that the child
is better off being made to sleep through the night.  Furthermore, it
actually does not work a lot of the time, though it does sometimes.
Infants nursed to sleep, and nursed liberally during the night,
preferably in their parents bed are charming (especially during the
day), secure, and happy.  They will eventually stop waking at night,
even though it may take a few years.  The payoff comes when they are
teenagers.

I don't have the references with me, but you could use Dr. McKenna's
many articles on co-sleeping and that sort of thing to show that just as
breastfeeding is physiologic, so is co-sleeping.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC