Former CNN News Anchor Isha Sesay Pregnant at 46
Isha Sesay, a 46-year-old former CNN international news anchor and UN goodwill ambassador, has revealed her pregnancy.
The British-Sierra Leonean broadcaster broke the good news in a pregnancy journal that was released on NBC’s Today Show on October 27. This was the first time the broadcaster has ever given specifics about her personal life.
Also on her verified Twitter profile, Isha Sesay also announced the wonderful news.
I have some major news to share with you…
I'm PREGNANT!https://t.co/V0075fDugH
— Isha Sesay (@IshaSesay) October 27, 2022
Ms Isha Sesay further disclose, “If you’d told the 16-year-old me that at 46, I’d be divorced, single and having a baby on my own — by choice! — I’d have shuddered and firmly said ‘no!’”
She also said her divorce from CNN’s 2013 Freedom Project executive editor and award-winning journalist Leif Coorlim without going into any detail. The couple started dating in 2011, then got married on August 17, 2013, after meeting in 2008 while working on a television show in Atlanta. Although the exact date of the couple’s divorce is unknown.
“A brief marriage to a kind man didn’t result in children …a few months ago I found myself in a subpar relationship with a man who took about 12 hours to reply to all my texts, among other red flags. It was then, in the aftermath of our inevitable breakup, that it hit me: Not having a child would be the greatest regret of my life. And with my biological clock ticking down, if I was waiting for the right man to come along before I did it, well, I might just find myself out of time.”
Ms. Isha Sesay also discussed her long-considered decision to take charge of her life by having artificial insemination. discussing how to find a sperm donor and become pregnant with IVF techniques.
“So, I decided to take control of my life and settle on the bravest and scariest decision I have ever made: to have a baby on my own. I had many long conversations with myself and tried to get to grips with questions about what it would mean to not have the support of a partner, both emotionally and financially. How would I handle society’s questions? What would being a single parent mean for my child?
“The process hasn’t been easy. The endless array of meetings with various doctors has also required a battery of blood tests, pelvic exams, bruising injections, nausea-inducing medication and an unexpected fibroid surgery.”
Ms. Isha Sesay continued by describing how the choice made her confront difficult questions about who she is and what she stands for.
“But perhaps most challenging of all has been the emotional dimension of this journey, especially surrounding my choice of a sperm donor. The decision asked of me to confront questions surrounding the importance of the race, ethnicity, religion and educational background of my child’s father. Essentially, it forced me to re-examine my own upbringing, values and worldview. But harder still was the task of trying to tease clues from the questionnaires that would tell me whether a donor was a good man? Did he have a moral compass? Was he truly kind, empathetic, open-minded? Ultimately, I made a decision — entirely on my own — and I have no regrets.”
The broadcaster, who is certainly thrilled about being pregnant, wants to use her experience to inspire and encourage others to start their own pregnancies.
“Even though many weeks have gone by since then and my belly is growing larger by the day, whenever I say the words, “I am pregnant,” it is with no small measure of amazement. I am elated, emotional, terrified, but above all thankful.”
