Im kind of a fence sitter on the subject, because babies are all so different.
I personally almost died with my DD for the first 3 months because she had a lot of trouble sleeping and we had a lot of trouble feeding. It wasnt until i got her into a routine that she started to sleep well, before that she would cry for hours until she exhausted herself. She didnt respond much to rocking or dummies or feeding (she did get gas as well). A bedtime routine was the only thing that really helped her out.
The midnight smiles andf cuddles sound nice though, and if i can get that with my future babies, the routine might not be as high on my priority list.