Ask Sylvia Jeffreys to describe her home life right now and she erupts into laughter. “It’s busy, it’s chaotic and with basically two babies, Pete and I are changing a lot of nappies.”
WATCH: Sylvia Jeffreys gets ready for fashion week
But Jeffreys, 35, insists they “wouldn’t have it any other way”.
The Today Extra co-host, who married fellow TV journalist Peter Stefanovic, 39, in 2017, recently returned to work four days a week following the birth of her second son Henry on April 7. The couple welcomed their first son Oscar on January 31, 2020.
“The boys are just gorgeous,” she tells WHO proudly. “They giggle and interact with each other and it’s just so sweet.”
Not that Jeffreys tries to pretend that life with two babies under the age of two doesn’t have its moments. She’s also been open in the past about her IVF journey to conceive her first child, followed by a surprise pregnancy just five months after Oscar’s arrival.
“It’s been a pretty crazy two or so years,” she says.
Here, Jeffreys, who began her career at Nine Network’s Brisbane newsroom before moving to Sydney to join the Today show in 2012, opens up about the highs and lows she experiences every day …
With two young children, are you managing to get any sleep at all?
Now that Henry is 6 months old, sleep for all of us is slowly improving. But for the first four months after he was born, it wasn’t really a thing. Oscar lulled Pete and I into a false sense of security, he was a really good sleeper from day one but with Henry, we’d be up every hour or two during the night. Those first few months with him were brutal on that front.
How did you cope with that?
Both Pete and I are used to the early 3am starts of breakfast TV, but broken sleep isn’t fun. We’d go to bed with that sense of dread wondering how much sleep we’d get. I tried to stay positive and optimistic at that time though because, with babies, each stage does end. Thankfully, now Henry’s on puréed solids he’s definitely sleeping better.
What’s Pete like as a dad?
He dotes on the boys. He’s keeping Oscar very busy already with footballs, golf clubs and guitars! He’s such a beautiful father – I knew he would be – but it’s something else to see him as a dad in action. He’s just so excited by family life and so into it. He’s so proud as well of the two little boys we’ve somehow created. They challenge us both but they also give us endless joy, too, and I know he’s really enjoying that ride.
Since you already have two boys, would you like to have a girl one day?
I’d absolutely love to have a little girl, have some more oestrogen in the house as I’m a little outnumbered at the moment! But right now, with the boys being so full on, another baby is just not something I can contemplate right now. Also, having Oscar didn’t happen super-easily for us so we are incredibly happy with what we’ve got. If having two healthy and happy boys is our complete picture, then we are more than happy and grateful about that.
As a journalist, do you find it harder to report on tragic stories now?
When certain news stories trigger thoughts of your own children, switching off those emotions is definitely harder. Anyone who knows me though, would say I’ve always been pretty emotional, but before I had the boys I was able to compartmentalise those feelings more easily when reporting on a tragedy.
How did you feel about going back to work?
I was really excited to get back. I realise how fortunate I am to have a job that I love, to be working at this time and to get to work with the legend that is David Campbell everyday.
Was it good to get back into a work wardrobe and out of activewear?
Yes, but because I’ve either been pregnant, breastfeeding or recovering from birth over the past two years, I was worried I wasn’t going to fit into anything. Thankfully, that was OK and it’s been so nice to wear something that doesn’t have baby vomit on it – while I’m on air at least!
What’s downtime like for you?
Exercise is my alone time so when I have a spare 20 or 30 minutes, I jump on my exercise bike. I’m trying to run again but my body ain’t what it used to be, I’m falling apart a bit! Mentally though, I need regular exercise in my life. Outside of that, Pete and I loved Ted Lasso when we watched it recently and now we’re bingeing Morning Wars.
Have you managed any date nights yet?
Only a few and they involve going out for dinner at 6.30pm, talking about the boys, then home by 8.30! My mum, who lives in Brisbane, is coming to stay soon though, so we’ll be able to do a little more of that and of course have that special family time with her. She met Henry when he was a newborn but since then, like many families, she’s watched the boys grow up on FaceTime.
So you’re in a good place right now?
Absolutely. It’s full on, but our babies give us so many reasons to smile. It’s a great time.
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