In my town, a single girl would be permitted to beget children while in her father’s compound under the following conditions:
SEARCH OF A MALE CHILD
A daughter may be encouraged to get pregnant to produce a male child the mother could not get. She is allowed to received visitation of known fertile men who had demonstrated their abilities to give women male children.
The ritual known as Ihachi Nwanyi is done by her parents and children conceived by girl are taken as the children of her father and shall inherit the estates of her father onto death.
The children from this arrangement are integrated into the family line and are regarded as members of umunna. The man that impregnated the girl can never claim the child/children.
Having produced a male child for her father’s household, the girl may wish to marry. A small ceremony is performed and she is released and will be free to marry.
A LOVE CHILD
Should a girl mistakenly conceives while her bride price had not been paid, Nnewi tradition does not allow marriage of a pregnant girl; so the girl must deliver the baby who would be regarded as the last child of the girl’s father.
A love child becomes a full fledged family member of the kindred if he is officially welcomed into the ozu obi and he is made to sit on the ancestral stool known as Isu Ike N’akpata) .
The Obi of the extended family would kill a fowl and pour libation to the ancestors and ask them to accept the son of our sister to become one of us.
Unless this is done, the child would not lay claims to the share of his mother’s father’s estates.
PS
Once u find out that ur Nnewi girlfriend is pregnant, quickly rush to pay her bride price or u lose the baby.
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