Oprah Winfrey has finally named the baby son she had a teenager, who died just hours after birth.
His name is Canaan. Oprah, now 61, said: โI did have a son. And I named him Canaan because Canaan means new land, new life.โ
Oprah told a sold-out audience on the opening night of her Australian tour that she decided to name her baby after being asked by The Weeklyโs Caroline Overington why she had never done so.
โShe (Caroline) said: โYou should name the baby who diedโ,โ Oprah told the crowd, โSo I have named him, I had a little boy named Canaan. I did have a son.โ
Caroline interviewed Oprah in Hollywood in September. One of her questions was: โWhen a baby dies, some people find that part of the process of grieving is being able to hold your baby and name your baby. Did you have any of that?โ
โNo, no, no, no, I didnโt have any of that,โ Oprah said, โI was in a confused whirlwind of denial. Really huge denial โฆ I didnโt even know what a pregnancy was. I literally had to ask girls at school. I had to look up: how long is a pregnancy?โ
When the baby was born, and lived for only a short time, โit never occurred to me to name him.โ
Caroline said: โYou know you have that right? And you should.โ
โYes,โ said Oprah.
Grieving for her lost son has been an important part of Oprahโs journey, which she now travels the world, sharing with others.
The Herald Sun says Oprah kicked off her tour in Melbourne with a two-hour talk to a mostly-rapt audience.
She talked about her impoverished childhood, and sexual abuse she suffered as a child, saying: โI was raped at nine years old by a cousin, then again by another family member, and another family member.โ
She fell pregnant at 14 and didnโt tell anyone because she felt so much โpain and shameโ but the loss of her son gave Oprah all the impetus she needed to make a huge success of her life.
Her tour is about passing on lessons she has picked up along the way.