Becoming a Parent Begins with You: For the Trying & Expecting Chapter

Hope. Longing. Becoming begins here.
— Traciana

Introduction: The Sacred Pause

In moments of stillness, before anything outwardly changes, we are quietly transformed. The Trying and Expecting chapters are not just stages of parenthood—they are sacred passages. For many, this time is filled with longing, uncertainty, and hope, yet it often goes unacknowledged by the world around us.

The journey to parenthood doesn’t always start with a due date. Sometimes, it begins with a longing, a whisper of what’s to come. In this season of becoming, we’re asked not just to prepare for the arrival of a child, but to rediscover who we are becoming in the process.

As Eckhart Tolle so beautifully states, “We are not our thoughts. We are the awareness behind them.” In this chapter, you are invited to move beyond the thoughts of expectation and fear, and into the awareness of who you are becoming—now.

The Many Paths Into Parenthood

The journey to parenthood is rarely linear. It takes many forms, often reflecting our deepest desires and quiet fears. At Happiness 360, we honor the complexity of these transitions and the profound shifts that shape each unique path.

Trying: Three Unique Journeys

1. Traditional Trying
You may be just beginning or already be months into the process. While everything may be going “as expected,” there’s an emotional upheaval that often accompanies trying to conceive. The pressure to conceive quickly can feel suffocating, and waiting can bring up fears that destabilize even the most grounded individuals. For high achievers, accustomed to control and results, this waiting period can feel especially difficult.

2. Infertility
One in five women experiences infertility, and male fertility challenges contribute to nearly half of these cases (CDC, 2023). But infertility is more than just a medical diagnosis—it is a chronic question mark. It brings guilt, disappointment, and a profound shift in identity, especially in cultures where parenthood is expected.

3. IVF & Alternative Fertility Treatments
Whether it’s IVF, IUI, or egg donation, these methods require significant emotional and financial investment. For many undergoing IVF, the journey brings not only physical strain but also emotional burden. Anxiety and depression are common, with nearly 50% of IVF patients experiencing them.

Expecting: Expanding the Definition

1. Traditional Pregnancy
Pregnancy is often framed as a joyful and transformative experience, yet it can also bring isolation, body changes, and identity shifts that are rarely discussed. Mental health challenges like prenatal depression and anxiety affect up to 1 in 5 pregnant individuals, yet support remains sparse.

2. Adoption
Whether domestic or international, open or closed, adoption is both beautiful and complex. Adoptive parents often face legal, emotional, and logistical challenges. Studies show that 40% of adoptive parents experience significant stress due to delays, cultural shifts, or uncertain timelines.

3. Surrogacy
Surrogacy offers another path to parenthood, but with its own unique set of emotional and legal hurdles. As a result, nearly 30% of surrogacy parents experience heightened anxiety. This path often brings complicated feelings of attachment and identity, which are frequently overlooked.

4. Donor Conception & Chosen Families
For queer, solo, and chosen-family parents, building a family through nontraditional means brings its own set of invisible challenges. These families face layers of social misunderstanding and often lack the support they deserve.

Becoming Before Arrival

Whether you’re choosing your first prenatal vitamin, navigating infertility, or planning for surrogacy, know this: you are already becoming. You are learning to hold space for uncertainty, to trust the process, and to begin shifting into the version of yourself who can embrace this new chapter.

As I’ve shared in countless coaching sessions, sound journeys, and story circles, this journey is filled with moments that take your breath away, where you feel both hopeful and unsure. And as Eckhart Tolle teaches, “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.” Your path, however uncertain, is already guiding you toward the next version of yourself.

Why You Deserve More Than Just Advice

This journey asks more of you than timelines or lab results. It asks for presence and openness to what may unfold. It asks you to:

• Pause and reflect, without rushing forward.
• Stay open to what’s possible, even in the unknown.
• Reclaim presence when fear or doubt threatens to take over.

At Happiness 360, we don’t offer advice that assumes. We offer support that honors where you are—whether in the process of trying, the uncertainty of waiting, or the evolution of becoming.

Through guided meditations, rituals, and content rooted in realignment, we provide the tools to help you embrace this transformative chapter.

Call to Action: Letters from Traciana

This journey is not meant to be traveled alone. If you’re ready to embrace the transformation this chapter offers, Letters from Traciana can guide you every step of the way.

Let this be the moment where you stop and reconnect—with yourself, with your path, and with the becoming that is already underway.

[Subscribe to Letters from Traciana →]

About the Author
Traciana Graves is the founder of Happiness 360® and creator of Fearless Listening®. Her work explores how leaders and teams can achieve sustainable excellence without sacrificing well-being. She has spent decades guiding individuals and organizations toward transformations that honor both achievement and authentic fulfillment.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or fitness advice. Consult qualified exercise professionals and healthcare providers before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have health conditions or injuries.
Read our full disclaimer →

You don’t have to navigate this alone—join us here.