Made with love

“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come” 

William Wordsworth

Babies are hopefully ‘made with love’, arriving not just with ‘clouds of glory’ but also at times to exhausted parents. Made with Love is an initiative supporting Auroville’s newborn families with food delivered right to their home. Set up two years ago by Rotem, a birth doula, (a person who supports women in labour and pregnancy) it was modelled on a similar concept from her Israeli home village, where there is a WhatsApp group arranging volunteers to cook a meal a day for families with new-borns. 

“It’s so simple,” Rotem says. She sends her WhatsApp group of 45 supporters a link to a google document, including a description of who gave birth and the size of their family. Her group consists mostly of young mothers; and they arrange food delivery for the first three weeks after a birth. She will often nudge individual volunteers to bring food if all the days are not fully covered.

The first few weeks after birth are a liminal moment between pregnancy and a baby’s new life. Monique Gauthier, a midwife working with Auroville initiative Morning Star, points out that Made with Love allows families space to adjust to the reality that “somebody is dependent on you 24/7 for the foreseeable future.” She notes that “post-partum is the time you’ll never forget; it’s a time of miracles, and of healing after birth.” Rotem, who is beginning her process of becoming a Newcomer and has lived locally for the last eight years, recalls that “you are still bleeding, your organs have had a trauma.” This support offers the mother’s body a little more recovery time and an opportunity to integrate the birth experience and to bond with their child. 

Food

Georgia and Samrat from Anusuya have just given birth to their son, River. For Georgia, Made with Love is an appropriate title because she felt the food “really was made with love; people poured their heart into what they made.” As a new mother it was “amazing, such a huge help for us to not have to think about food at such a precious time when we could just focus on being with River.” Samrat agreed, noting that the food was prepared in a healthy way, conscious of the nourishment and breastfeeding needs of babies. Rotem clarifies that it’s fine to buy food in as well and jokingly remembers, “I am not a good cook. The first time I tried to make something – an attempted Asian wok meal –  I ended up giving it to my dog and bought something from Bread and Chocolate instead!”

The Gift of Time

The food delivery allows more quality family time together. Samrat remembers that after the birth, he still had to run around doing paperwork for the birth certificate, and that the food delivery “saves us grocery shopping, allowing us more time and space.” Aurovilian Rebeca Lopez was inspired to support new parents by bringing food because she remembers new mums in her native Spain did not even have enough time to shower. For Lauren Chockman, whose two year old son Rudra was the first baby to start the programme, “it’s a gift of time in those early days, one less thing to think about and more time with your baby.” 

Other baby offerings

In addition to food delivery, there is another WhatsApp group for mums to pass on objects, share information or ask for advice, which was also started by Rotem some years back. Samrat says that “most baby clothes were provided for us – other mums pass things on and it’s understood when we don’t need them we will pass them on. Sharing has been taking place abundantly.” Georgia and Samrat were grateful to the Morning Star team for taking care. For example, Krishna Lescure came twice to check on breastfeeding, and Shanti Gardelle provided information on how to carry your baby properly. Monique visited for the first five days after birth as did an osteopath. There is “so much home service, it’s amazing,” says Georgia. 

Community 

Made with Love deepens the feeling of community for families. Rotem wanted to “bring some community here,” and Georgia concurs, “I’ve really started to feel community in Auroville when I became pregnant.” For Lauren, Made with Love “helped me appreciate what community is and to meet other mothers, where I got a lot of breast feeding tips. It’s so nurturing for a mum and also allows other people to start to have a relationship with your baby.” Georgia recalls, “Most people bringing food were friends, and I really appreciated the opportunity to connect and share our birth story, because I had a lot to process and it was healing.”

A new life is full of possibility, and in the City of the Dawn, Made with Love is one step enabling children and new parents to receive a nourishing and caring beginning in life.