As a parent with a small baby I can anecdotally validate this.
One tip I found especially helpful when trying to let my child sleep through the night: Try not to be on their side, when they fall asleep. If they wake up during the night and you're gone, they will more likely stay awake and call for you. When you were not there when they fell asleep. They will more likely sleep again without calling for you, when they wake up. A person usually wakes up several times per night. It is important to make it as easy as possible to fall asleep again when that happens.
Apparently this distribution is completely random, and usually only manifests itself in situations like having a kid, etc.