33 year-old Diana Makokha is a popular radio presenter in the Royal Media Services stable. Diana is also a mom of two boys, and with an inspiring story to tell! Her experience is definitely one that many women can relate to. Read on.
“I got pregnant in 2002 just after high school. It was unplanned. I was 19 years-old, naive and not really ready to become a mother. Back in my days, early pregnancy was regarded as complete immorality. In fact, if a girl got pregnant, it automatically meant that she would get married. Meanwhile, she would be stigmatized for engaging in ‘bad behavior’. It was one of the most ‘sinful’ things a girl could do.
When I found out I was pregnant, I cried and cursed. How could it have happened to me? Embarrassed, scared and ashamed, I preferred to stay indoors all day long. I would be dressed in a cardigan throughout, in a bid to conceal my growing bump. It did not matter the weather; even in the scorching heat, you’d find me all covered up in a heavy sweater.
Also Read: “My Unexpected Pregnancy While in Campus” -The Story of Laila Laurence
Eventually, word got round that I was expecting. The girls in my neighborhood, and those I had cleared school with would spend hours gossiping about me. They would say: “Waahh, na ni kweli Dee ako na ball?” They would even come to our home to ‘peep’ at me in a bid to confirm that I was indeed pregnant. Some of them had already joined college and would brag on end about how sweet college life was.
Hearing them speak made me feel very sad. I would lock myself in my bedroom and cry my heart out. I would cry rivers. Why me? There I was, a pregnant teen, ashamed of the embarrassment I had caused the family. The idea of having an abortion came to mind.
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the strength of a woman