During childbirth, the birthing partner can be just as panicked as the woman giving birth.

“At my first birth my husband kept saying, ‘what do I do, what do I do’?” said mother-of-three Sophia Cannonier, a birth advocate and doula.

Luckily, a doula was there to provide calm support and guidance. A doula is a woman who is trained to act as a companion to a woman in labour. Some doulas support the family after the baby is born.

Ms Cannonier wants more pregnant women in Bermuda to have access to doulas. She has organised Bermuda’s first Speed Doula Dating event shortly before Valentine’s Day, to allow expecting parents to more easily select the right doula for them.

“When I meet someone in the supermarket who is pregnant, and I say, ‘who is your doula’ and they say ‘what is a doula’, I know that we need more doulas,” she said. “The knowledge should be out there. My goal with the speed doula dating is to bring more doulas to the forefront. They are very accepted now, more so than ever in Bermuda.”

She admitted that before she had children she didn’t really know what a doula was either.

“Someone told me about Annisha Simmons who was working as a doula,” said Ms Cannonier. “We just connected. She was studying to be a midwife. She felt my belly and I said, gosh I have never been supported like that before. I told her she had to be at the birth. She came to our first home birth. I looked at her and said: ‘am I doing this Annisha?’ I was pushing and she said, ‘yup, you’re doing it’. That was all I needed. I said gosh if other women had this support it would be great.”

She didn’t have a doula at her second birth because the baby, Vidya, now 6, came too quickly. At the birth of her third child, Inanna, (now 4 years old) she had two friends who were doulas attend and a midwife.

“They are very important whether they are holding your hand for 36 hours or rubbing your back for two or just giving you a sip of water,” she said.

The speed doula dating event is meant to take away some of the stress involved in hiring one. Normally, you might spend time chasing down a doula and setting up an appointment, and then go through an hour long interview. If you don’t find the right doula the first time the process has to be repeated and could take up a lot of time.

“This way, the couple can just come out and meet all the doulas who are available during their birthing time,” Ms Cannonier said.

“They can do little ten minute interviews with the doulas available. There is less pressure that way.”

Ms Cannonier is hoping to start up a doula mentoring programme to produce more doulas working on the Island.

“Bermuda needs more doulas,” said Ms Cannonier. “We have only four practising full-time. We also have two to three others who only do it at night because they have day time situations.”

Until recent years births were women-only events. It did not become common for men to attend the births of their children until the 1970s.

“Women have always birthed around other women,” said Ms Cannonier.

“In the old days all the aunts, cousins and nieces would all gather when the woman was having her baby. The younger ones learned the way of the woman through the older ladies. We don’t do that anymore.”

But she said the doula is not meant to take the place of a partner or husband; she is merely there to lend a hand and emotional support.

“The doula can work with the medical professionals to help a woman understand what is happening,” she said. “She is there to show love and support.”

Research has proven that having another woman present at the birth can reduce labour times by 50 percent, and reduce the want or need for pharmacological pain relief by 60 percent.

Hiring a doula for a birth in Bermuda can cost anywhere from $600 to $1,000 or more. Ms Cannonier said she would like to see costs come down a bit so that more women could afford one. She did know of some doulas who volunteered their time in certain cases.

“They are still doing it out of the love for other women,” said. “Women should support women.”

But she also thought being a trained doula might be an option for some women looking for another career avenue. Her mentoring programme would be based in Bermuda so potential doulas wouldn’t have to go overseas for training.

Speed Doula Dating is on February 13 from 7pm to 9pm at the Lotus, Mind Body and Spirit at 46 Victoria Street in the City of Hamilton. Also see the website www.consciousbirthbermuda.com .Tickets are $25 a couple. For more information e-mail sophiacannonier@gmail.com or call 296-5900.