Birth Experience Stories

“Megan was my doula and I am beyond grateful that she was. I was terrified of getting induced and wanting to try natural without any medication and she was so calming and encouraging. I swear I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. She cares so much and you can see it in the photo. I can’t thank her enough and I can’t say enough great things about her. Highly highly recommend her!”  - Simone, Virginia Beach, VA

“Words can’t even begin to describe what I felt with this team. Everyone was so attentive, so informative and loving. This was my first birth and I wanted it as natural as possible, so I hired a doula. Little did I know I was going to get a whole team! The text messages and visits before birth and after were everything! I learned so much, my husband learned so much. My husbands words, “I would have been lost without Katie at birth”. To have the support of a doula team made me feel so confident and safe. During birth Katie was helping us change up positions, informing us what the doctor said and meant, helping us when things slowed down and changed. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world! I labored at home as long as I could, went without medication for about 24 hours, then asked for the epidural, 6 hours later my baby Leo arrived. It was a perfect story for us and feel so blessed to have Stronger Together Doulas by my side EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! I was never alone. Thank you ladies so so much for everything. See you at my next birth!!❤️🙏” 

- Natalie, Santa Rosa Beach

“The moment I decided I wanted a VBA2C I knew I needed support. I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I wasn’t familiar with having a doula before but I researched and found Megan and Katie. These girls are a true blessing.  They cheered me on when I was terrified and helped me make informed decisions. My birth unfortunately did not go as planned (does birth ever go as planned?) But still I am so glad I had them to help me along the way. They have been especially sweet and kind to me in the postpartum period way beyond their duties. I’m forever grateful to them and they both have a special place in my heart. ❤”  - Rachel, Okaloosa, Florida

“I hired Emily Luciano as my doula for my third baby. I had always wanted a birth more naturally, and I was finally able to do that. I think a huge part of that was thanks to Emily and her support.

Had I not known already that she was relatively new at this profession, I would have guessed that she had been doing this for years. Gentle encouragement and patience come very naturally to her. That, combined with a genuine love and wonder of birth, makes her the perfect birthing coach and friend to have at your side.

I did a birth course called “Hypnobabies” and gave Emily a digital copy of a book that went with it, asking her to skim over a few parts. Not only did she print it out (it was 60 pages) without me asking, but she highlighted and studied it. This is just an example of both her dedication to being a great coach, but also her love of reading more about birth.

At the hospital during labor, it made me feel more at ease to have someone to support not only myself, but my husband as well. She suggested ways that he could support me, and he was also about to step out to get food knowing that I wasn’t alone. She used several techniques with her rebozo and some hip squeezes that offered some relief. She also encouraged me verbally through difficult contractions, enabling me to feel supported and confident through transition and the baby finally being born.

I would hire Emily again in a heartbeat and recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone who is pregnant.” - Amy, Crestview, FL

"I benefited from Megan in many ways. I received her magical touch with prenatal massages and some really epic releases with craniosacral therapy. in addition, she was my doula for the birth of my 2nd son. although, our birth didn’t go exactly as planned , megan was a bright light of love and support through it all. she is truly a wealth of knowledge and incredibly skilled. a true gift!!”  

- Ali, Virginia Beach VA

 “My spouse and I live multiple states away from and friends, and I knew I’d need another woman/mama by my side as my sweet baby grew in my belly and joined us Earth-side. I fell in love with Emily immediately early on during pregnancy. I knew, as our doula, she’d be supportive, but there truly are no words that can explain how much support she gave. She constantly checked In with me, did face to face visits, answered my million questions, encouraged me every step of the way, trusted and believed in me, and never once judged me for my wants. Emily was absolutely amazing to have during my birth. I pushed for about 4 hours, and Emily supported me with every single push and was so encouraging. She rubbed my head, and reminded me of what a good job I was doing, and was so excited with each progression. Emily helped make such difficult labor comfortable and do-able. She truly gave me strength when I needed it the most.” 

- Kat, Ft. Walton Beach, FL

“Megan was my “Doula” before she even knew she wanted to be a Doula.  13 years ago, I gave birth to my first born daughter, Ava.  The birthing experience didn’t go as planned…AT ALL.  I had to have an emergency C-section after hours upon hours of pushing to no avail… I am extremely claustrophobic.  Part of my birthing plan was that, should I have to have an emergency C-section, they were NOT to strap down my arms during the procedure.  Well, because the anaesthesiologist apparently gave me a “high block” ( which didn’t know what this was until years later when pregnant with my second daughter), I literally lost my mind in the operating room as I couldn’t feel myself breath.  Because of my panic, they in turn attempted to strap my arms down and give me oxygen at the same time.  Which again, for anyone who has claustrophobia you can imagine this did not go over too well.  Megan was there with me during the entire pushing process and normally they would only allow the father in the OR, but they made this exception because of my condition to allow Megan to come in as well.  Megan was able to relax me during the process, she got to witness her first C-section, and when all was said and done, they knocked me out so they could put me back together after my daughter was born.  When I woke up, who was there yet again to comfort me?  Megan.  I honestly don’t think I could have made it through this very stressful yet magical time without her by my side.  With her caring, calming, and nurturing nature…she was born for this “job”.  Love, Love, Love Megan and so thankful every day that she was there for me! - Beth, Leesburg, VA.

“Emily was our doula for our first baby and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be a part of this experience over the last 9 months with us. She was so caring and made sure we felt comfortable with every part of our pregnancy journey, even when the unexpected happened. She was super flexible and always quick a phone call away when we needed her (even at 4am)! I highly recommend having Emily for your first baby or your third – we couldn’t have done it without her! I wouldn’t have felt as confident having my first baby and the entire pregnancy/L&D process without her.” - Savannah, Shalimar, FL

“Emily is one of the wisest, most caring, loving and sweet person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! ❤️ She’s incredibly knowledgeable and kind! Love her!

Emily and I planned and worked on my birth plan extensively. I wanted 100% no pain meds and completely natural. She and I worked for months on techniques to help me through the birthing process to achieve my goals. Well…as my due date approached my health began to decline and my doctors wanted to schedule an induction but…my son was breech. Emily and I worked together to try to get him to turn ( as manually turning him would have been dangerous for both he and I, so not an option.) naturally. This did not work (he was too large and had no room to turn himself.) So the doctor scheduled a c-section. I was devastated. Emily was SO kind, and helped prepare me emotionally for this day and comforted me as she knew it was the exact opposite of what I had wanted and planned.

My son ended up having to go to the NICU an hour away from where I delivered. My husband went with our son and Emily stayed right by my side for 2 days while I was stuck in the hospital away from my son. She helped me make sure I was taking care of me physically with the c-section and emotionally with everything else going on. She was so kind and caring. All the while she helped me start pumping so my milk could come in for when I was able to be with my son. She gave me tips and tricks to get things going so that I was at least able to breast feed like I had wanted. She had amazing recommendations and how often to pump to help bring my milk in. Following her guidance,, my milk came in and I am able to produce PLENTY of milk for my son (and probably another child too.)

Emily’s patience and kindness and love of what she does really helped me get through this time…even though it wasn’t the way I had wanted it to go, she was really there for me every step of the way.” - Shannon, Crestview, FL