Let me come down on one side in this debate. I don’t like the idea of “cry it out.” I think it’s wrong, selfish, and damn dangerous. Babies are the only truly innocent human beings. They deserve to have their needs met.
http://evolutionaryparenting.com/shut-the-door-and-walk-away/
Marlene Dotterer 
I refuse to do cry it out, despite ‘advice’ to the contrary. I think especially for nursing babies it’s normal to wake up a lot. S wakes up about 1-2x a night just for a bit and usually to eat, and I can deal with it and it’s not the end of the world for me. I do miss long and deep sleep but no matter how old she gets I doubt I’ll ever experience that uninhibited sleep ever again! 🙂 And that’s fine. It pains me to think of babies who are crying and parents who think it’s ‘for the best’ to let them do so. They are only little for such a short time and need us so utterly and we should honor that.
You make a good point, Nicole. There are a lot of reasons why parents lose sleep, and babyhood is just one small part of it. I still lie awake worrying about my kids and my youngest is 31! But despite the fact that I always met their nightly needs when they were babies, and despite my tendency to worry, my kids are all strong, independent adults. They don’t want or expect me to live their lives for them.