Baby Sprinkle

Dani was pregnant during a global pandemic. It was scary to think of her catching COVID-19 and what complications that might have. From what we’d read, it wasn’t good. Sydney was in a lockdown for much of her pregnancy. She didn’t see her friends. They didn’t gather to share in her pregnancy. Instead she asked them to help her build a playlist - Baby Sprinkle. ​

With Paterson, 4 years earlier, Dani had chosen 30 albums for her 30 years. The albums played for 10 hours while she laboured and helped bring Pan to us, to our sounds. 

This time she would bring 18 friends into the labour with her. Their choices of songs, their support and presence would be in the room as Dani journeyed alone, and yet surrounded. The Baby Sprinkle playlist was bizarre in some ways. Individual songs from across genres and time. Each one associated with a special friend and each one imbued with a little love, support and humour. 17 hours and 11 minutes of songs like this: 

From Little Things Big Things Grow - Paul Kelly & Kim
New Slang - The Shins & Penny
Circle of Life - Lion King & Bubbs
We Are Family - Sister Sledge & Vivian
Push It - Salt-N-Pepa & Luci


As the sun slowly rose and changed the delivery suite, Dani laboured and struggled. Midwives, doctors, swiss balls and jellybeans. Sometimes she was breathing furiously, sometimes she was asleep. For a while she bounced slowly on a swiss ball and stared through the window onto a light rain falling on Sydney Uni. Various songs faded into the background and then surged up into the room. We heard our friends’ encouragement and support through the sounds and lyrics. “Strange playlist” Sophia the midwife said at one point. “Yeah, who puts Achy Breaky Heart onto a labour mix?”

After hours of effort and courage our little girl was very close. The midwives coached, Dani strained. I held her hand and attempted to pour positivity. Bryan Adams, added by Gemma, sang Everything I do, I do it for you from the Robin Hood movie sound track. Our daughter entered the world. 

“Look into my eyes
You will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart
Search your soul
And when you find me there
You'll search no more” 

The baby was immediately placed onto Dani’s chest. She had carried her for months and for hours had worked to bring our little girl safely to us. The spirit some special women in Dani’s life had been there as a background the whole time. The Baby Sprinkle playlist ticked to the next song. 

“Go, go, go, go, go, go
Go, shorty
It's your birthday
We gon' party like it's your birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday…”