About
“Hope. Longing. Becoming begins here.”
— Traciana
There are moments in life when we quietly stand at a crossroads—becoming someone new before anything outwardly changes. The trying and expecting chapter is one of them. For millions of people across gender identities, cultures, and paths to parenthood, this chapter is one of the most emotionally complex and underacknowledged phases of adult life.
As someone who has walked through this chapter myself—and supported tens of thousands of visionaries, seekers, and high achievers navigating life’s major inflection points—I’ve seen how this season of becoming reshapes us in ways few talk about. I know what it’s like to move between hope and heartbreak, to feel like time is both crawling and sprinting, and to crave support without having to explain everything first.
It doesn’t always begin with a due date. Often, it begins with longing. A shift. A yes whispered through heartbreak or determination.
The world expects us to carry on—work hard, stay grateful, make it all look easy. But this space was created for a different kind of truth: one that allows us to be whole while becoming.
The Many Paths Into Parenthood
Trying and expecting do not follow a single storyline. At Happiness 360, we honor the complexity of this journey and the quiet, life-altering shifts that shape each path.
Trying: Three Unique Journeys
1. Traditional Trying
You may be just starting to try or months into the process. Even when things go “as expected,” traditional trying can bring emotional upheaval. There’s often silent pressure to conceive quickly, and a deep fear when the timeline stretches longer than anticipated. For high achievers used to control and results, the waiting alone can feel destabilizing.
2. Infertility
1 in 5 women experience infertility (CDC, 2023), and male fertility challenges are part of nearly 50% of cases. But statistics can’t capture the slow grief of unanswered efforts. Infertility is more than a diagnosis—it’s a chronic question mark. It invites guilt, disappointment, and identity shifts, especially in cultures or communities where parenthood is expected.
3. IVF & Alternative Fertility Treatments
From IVF and IUI to egg donation or reciprocal IVF, these routes demand enormous emotional and financial investment. Nearly 50% of those undergoing IVF report significant anxiety or depression. Each injection, blood test, and embryo transfer holds your hope in suspension.
Expecting: Expanding the Definition
1. Traditional Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a joyful and transformative experience. But it also brings isolation, body changes, identity shifts, and fears we’re often taught to silence. Mental health challenges like prenatal depression and anxiety impact up to 1 in 5 pregnant individuals, yet support remains sparse.
2. Adoption
Domestic or international, open or closed—adoption brings beauty and complexity. Adoptive parents often navigate rigorous legal, emotional, and logistical processes. Studies show 40% experience significant stress in this journey, especially when delays, cultural shifts, or uncertain timelines are involved.
3. Surrogacy
Surrogacy can offer a path forward—but is often filled with legal hurdles, cultural stigma, and fragile emotional dynamics. A study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology revealed that 30% of parents going through surrogacy experience elevated anxiety.
4. Donor Conception & Chosen Families
Queer, solo, and chosen-family parents often face unique layers of invisibility. From insensitive healthcare experiences to societal misunderstanding, the challenges of building family through nontraditional means go far beyond logistics—they touch the core of identity and belonging.
Becoming Before Arrival
Whether you’re choosing your first prenatal vitamin, grieving an unsuccessful round of IVF, waiting on a call from an agency, or finalizing your surrogacy plan—you are already becoming.
You’re making space. You’re choosing love. You’re learning to hold uncertainty while still hoping.
Through thousands of coaching sessions, sound journeys, and intimate story circles, I’ve heard this whispered truth again and again:
“I didn’t know it would feel like this.”
We created this space because that sentence shouldn’t live in the shadows. We see the grief of embryos that didn’t implant. The confusion of waiting. The joy that feels too fragile to name. And the exhaustion of pretending you’re fine.
Why You Deserve More Than Just Advice
This journey asks more than timelines and lab results. It asks you to:
- Pause and reflect
- Stay open to possibility
- Reclaim presence when your mind spirals forward
That’s what we’re here for.
At Happiness 360, we offer:
- Rituals, meditations, and sound experiences to anchor you in presence
- Affinity groups where your path is honored, not explained
- Coaching and content rooted in identity, alignment, and becoming
Parenthood doesn’t begin at a heartbeat. It begins with a brave yes to becoming.
You don’t have to navigate this alone—join us here.
Book a Discovery Call
Join the Free Membership
0 Comments for “Becoming a Parent Begins with You: For the Trying & Expecting Chapter”