Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, has revealed that she wanted to publish intimate information of having her twin boys so other Nigerian women battling with infertility will not feel forced. Speaking on the premiere live episode of the #WithChude talk show on Sunday, the 47-year-old novelist explained that she hoped her candor would ease the cultural pressure many women suffer around fertility
Ivara Esege, a medical doctor’s wife and the award-winning author, emphasized the importance of destroying the stigma associated with women’s reproductive health and fertility issues. “I got the impression that a lot of women would feel pressured by remarks like, ‘Look, Chimamanda is 47 and she had children at that age. How about you?
I simply believe that fertility concerns are too big of a burden for women, and there is a great deal of guilt around them. “I don’t believe in that kind of shame,” she stated. “Women are ashamed when they have fibroids, and women are ashamed when they have problems getting pregnant.” Although she initially regretted sharing the specifics of her children’s birth, the author of “Half of a Yellow Sun” went on to say that she hoped her candor would normalize discussions about unconventional routes to parenting.
My boys are so precious to me. And I hated that anything about them would become politicised. So, on the one hand, I thought, ‘I wish I hadn’t talked about it,’ but on the other hand, there is no way I am going to lie about the process of birthing them.
“I am hoping that if anything good comes out of this, it would be that more women are less ashamed of talking about reaching motherhood through non-traditional means. Our society is so judgemental, and I don’t think that is good for anybody,” she said.
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