‘I SANG MY BABY BETTER’
MUSICIANS ALANA AND ANGUS USED SONG TO STAY STRONG FOR THEIR PREMMIE BOY
Alana Wilkinson’s ethereal vocals were barely audible above the constant bleeping and whir of machinery in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital.
But as she sang to her premmie baby, who was lying on her chest and fighting for survival after being born at 24 weeks, the new mum witnessed something magical.
“When I sang and he heard my voice, his heart rate stabilised quickly,” singer-songwriter Alana,
31, tells New Idea.
“To see it reflected in machines monitoring oxygen levels and heart rates was mind-blowing.”
Alana gave birth to Rafferty Thomas Robb at the Mater last October. He weighed just 704g.
Doctors told Alana and Rafferty’s dad, Angus, their son had just a 60 per cent chance of survival. Feeling helpless, she turned to music for comfort.
“I wrote songs about all the things Rafferty needed to accomplish on his healing journey. We had songs about sending oxygen around his body, songs about opening his eyes and feeding.”
As Rafferty lay on his mother’s chest, skin to skin, Alana would play her ukulele and sing to him.
She knew how much it soothed her miracle boy, but what she hadn’t anticipated was the comfort her music was bringing to others.
“Another mum stopped me, and she burst into tears. She said it softened her landing into this huge traumatic experience and made everything easier,” Alana says.
“It was just beautiful to see how it rippled out.”
Alana and Angus, also a musician, sung to Rafferty constantly. But when he was 2 weeks old, the tiny tot took a turn for the worse.
“We came in and he was totally white, he looked lifeless. He was having trouble with his heart. There was a serious chance he might not make it,” says Alana.
“I just said to Angus, ‘We need to get as much love in this room as we possibly can.’”
With that in mind, the loving couple tied the knot by Rafferty’s incubator on November 14, 2021.
“We didn’t have rings or anything like that, but it was so special. I think all of us felt more hopeful.”
In January, Rafferty – who was still hooked up to an oxygen tank to help him breathe – was finally well enough to go home.
Alana and Angus were thrilled to take him back to their rainforest cabin in Upper Main Arm, in northern NSW.
‘WHEN I SANG AND HE HEARD MY VOICE, HIS HEART RATE STABILISED’
But then it started to rain.
Minor flooding was common in the area; Alana and Angus were prepared for that.
But by day five of the downpour, it was carnage
– a two-metre sinkhole had opened up in their driveway.
“The ground had cracked open from our front door all the way down to our driveway. Our creek turned into a raging river,” Alana recalls.
“There were landslides, people had lost their houses, cars were scrunched up and the roads had been washed away.”
Fearing their cabin was in danger of being swallowed up, Alana and her family sought refuge at a neighbour’s place overnight.
“I cried and cried. It was just shocking. No-one was prepared for this to happen.”
Heartbreakingly, as the torrential downpour continued, the house in which Alana and her family had taken shelter also became at risk of succumbing to the elements.
“We could see their ground moving so we all moved out of their house into another one up the road.”
But there was another problem: the rain showed no sign of abating and Rafferty was in danger of running out of precious oxygen.
The resourceful couple used petrol from lawnmowers to power up a generator and called a pilot friend for help.
After another wet and sleepless night, the family was airlifted to safety the following morning.
After arriving in Byron Bay, they stayed with family for several weeks and salvaged whatever they could from their sodden cabin.
Half a year on, they’ve found a new place to live and Rafferty, 10 months, is thriving.
“He’s the biggest chatterbox on the planet,” she laughs.
Meanwhile, Alana has some exciting – and inspiring – musical projects on the horizon.
Earlier this year, she recorded a love song for Rafferty and posted it on Instagram. The doting mum was “floored” by the response.
“I was sent so many beautiful messages by mums in similar situations and nurses who look after these little babies,” says Alana, who plans to record more of the songs she wrote in the NICU.
“I hope that it fosters a beautiful connection between mums and bubs and healing, and makes people feel less helpless in that situation.”