Bridget Masinga's journey: turning loss into light with a heartfelt pregnancy reveal

In a world where pregnancy announcements often flood our social feeds with joy and perfect bump pictures, the quieter stories of loss are often left in the shadows. 

But this week, beloved South African broadcaster and actress Bridget Masinga broke that silence with grace, strength and vulnerability.

Her pregnancy announcement, shared on August 4, was more than just another celebrity reveal; it was a poignant reminder of the long, heartbreaking road some women travel to motherhood.

With a heartfelt Instagram caption, quoting Isaiah 60:22, Masinga wrote, "When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen."

The post, which included a striking maternity shoot by Gareth Jacobs, quickly went viral. Fans and friends alike, including media personalities Minnie Dlamini, Duma Ntando, Moshe Ndiki, Sarah Langa and DJ Zinhle, flooded the comments with congratulations and prayers of gratitude.

But behind this joyful moment lies a journey marked by deep grief and unimaginable resilience.

Speaking the unspoken truth of miscarriage

Miscarriage remains a painful and often taboo topic. It’s whispered about, rarely posted, and often misunderstood, even though an estimated 10 - 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the National Health Institute.

And the stigma around miscarriage is still heavily rooted in silence, shame, and isolation.

Masinga has never shied away from the truth. Years before this announcement, in 2018, she bravely shared on social media that she had lost not one, but three pregnancies, each one a silent heartbreak carried quietly while the world moved on. 

She spoke candidly about the emotional toll it took on her, her relationship, and her faith.

“We lost our second pregnancy, lost my faith and my trust and found myself in a dark place fighting my way back to the light,” she wrote.

“Time doesn’t heal all wounds; you just learn to live through it.”

These raw admissions resonated deeply with many South African women who have gone through the same multiple times with no real support system, and often, no language to express their grief.

Masinga’s decision to publicly share her story has opened a much-needed conversation around pregnancy loss, grief, healing, and hope. 

For many women, especially black women, these experiences are often minimised, dismissed, or spiritualised to the point of emotional neglect.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that Black women face increased emotional burden from pregnancy loss, often compounded by societal expectations to be strong and resilient.

Masinga’s vulnerability offers a counter-narrative. Her story tells women: You’re not alone. Your grief is real. Your hope is valid. Research shows that the grief associated with miscarriage can resemble that of other loss forms.

“Miscarriage is a traumatic event. It represents the loss of a future, a dream, and too often, a fragment of identity as a woman. What aids healing is acknowledgement, not silence; support, not shame,” experts affirm.

Masinga’s own words reflect this: “I truly believe that one day, I will be blessed with the greatest love of all … but until then, I will not lose faith.

Faith has been an anchor for her, but so has community. Her post was met with a wave of love, not just from industry peers but from strangers who had followed her journey and seen parts of themselves in it.

Congratulations to her and hers; her story is important. It shows that not all paths to motherhood are linear, and not every woman’s body story fits the perfect narrative of “we tried, and then we were pregnant.”

Her journey reminds us that miracles look different for everyone, and healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means making space for both the pain of what’s lost and the joy of what’s to come.

This is why her post hit different. It wasn’t just about the growing bump; it was about the years it took to get there. About the heartbreaks we don’t see. About reclaiming joy on your own terms.

As one fan so beautifully commented:

“Never been so happy for a stranger. This is truly a prayer answered for you.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing pregnancy loss, visit the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) at www.sadag.org or call 0800 567 567 for free support.