Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa, a journalist and media consultant who just lost her new twins, says she now regrets publicly declaring her pregnancy.
Parirenyatwa announced on social media last year that she had opted to utilise a sperm donor while still seeking for “Mr. Right” because she thought time was running out.
She also admitted to having fibroids. Parirenyatwa revealed to Trevor Ncube, CEO of Alpha Media Holdings, during a platform interview that she regretted publicising her pregnancy.
“The first thing you should know is that not everyone is happy for you. The second lesson is to safeguard beautiful things since humans destroy them. “Just be quiet,” she said.
“Yes (I do regret) because I did not serve long-term to have shared it and no because my story opened up for so many women to reach out and to talk about something that is otherwise never talked about. In Shona there is a saying “usafukure hapwa” (loosely translated to mean don’t disclose inner secrets) that is one of those things, miscarriage or losing your child”.
She said she lost the twins after birth and it was not a miscarriage.
“Mine I do not call it a miscarriage because I delivered, they were live at birth so we cannot call it a miscarriage. I lost my babies and it’s a completely different experience,”she said.
The media personality said local culture had some taboos which impinged on women’s rights and these need to be discarded.
“I do not know how our culture says we should not talk about losing a child. It also says that you should not grieve or cry when you have lost a baby, something mythical about how it means that you will not conceive,” she noted.
“There are so many rules and terms and conditions that our culture has that I need to question our ancestors about.”
Parirenyatwa said women who faced similar challenges should not shy away from telling other people their problem as it helped in healing fast.
“I would tell anybody going through this that there are professionals, friends and family that you can reach out to,” she said.
“There is a shame that women also carry especially if it is your first attempt at trying to become a mother. You then feel like a failure so there is a shame that you carry to say that I could not carry a child to term, my womb is not fit for motherhood.”
