There is a universal truth known among all parents. And it's the fact that while your kids are little, sleep is sacred - and hard to come by.
This is a reality Michael 'Wippa' and Lisa Wipfli know all too well.
The couple has three kids together - Theodore, seven, Jack, six, and two-year-old Francesca. And for their youngest child, it's been quite the challenge to get her to sleep through the night.
"She didn't know how to settle herself," Lisa said to Body+Soul this week. "We would have to lie on the floor and hold her hand until she fell asleep. I was doing that four or five times a night."
Starting to feel physically ill from the ongoing sleep deprivation, Lisa said she felt like a "shell of myself".
"It's constantly living as a half version of yourself."
Reflecting on the whole experience, Wippa said: "I just know that it's going to be a slog. We all understand that. And I think at times we go into survival mode. That basically means we've just got to get through today. You just have to push through and know that the sun comes up the next day."
In the same interview, Wippa explained that he and Lisa sleep in separate beds due to the start time of his Nova FM Fitzy & Wippa show - which has made it extra hard for them to have quality time together.
"I can tell that Lisa, day by day, is keener to get back into the marital suite," Wippa laughed.
While Francesca is now sleeping soundly thanks to them investing in a sleep consultant, the couple said they had no plans to change their separate bedroom routine, with Lisa joking they would only share the same bed again once her husband "has that operation to stop all the extreme snoring".
Top Comments
Thank you for sharing - I feel so much more NORMAL now!!
My mental health takes a huge battering when I don’t sleep. All the things mentioned above - brain fog, less patience, bare minimum housework, increases screen time - which all flows into physical health and the quality of my relationships.
My son is 21 months and he is finally sleeping well and we are seeing the light.
My baby days are 1000000% done and it’s all down to this.