Former Newcastle woman Nicole New is a recent bachelor of midwifery graduate and said the seed of interest in the field was planted 21 years ago with the birth of her first child.

“And then I had another three children after that,” Ms New said.

“I thought when my youngest, who is now 11, started preschool, I thought if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it now, because I’m not getting any younger.”

Ms New said the most rewarding part of her job was helping “mums become mums”.

“Seeing their confidence grow and being able to send them on their way and with confidence in looking after their baby,” she said.

Clinical midwifery manager at Tamworth hospital Kim Smith said the job was all about giving the mother the best experience possible.

“It’s the most exciting event of a family’s life, for the most part,” Ms Smith said.

“Families invite us into their world and it’s all about us giving every woman the best experience every time.”

Like many regional areas, Ms Smith said it was difficult to attract graduates to the bush and she hoped the day of recognition would lead to more people coming into the profession.

Scone woman Katrina Clement gave birth to her fourth child, Isobel, on April 30 at Tamworth hospital and said she was very thankful to the midwives, who were very “reassuring” in a complicated birth.

Ms Clement was experiencing hypertension and pre-eclampsia and said the midwives “walked her through every step”.

“It was very trying,” she said of her most recent pregnancy.

“It was great to have everything explained to me.

“It was very reassuring.”

Ms Clement said her family were mostly back in Scone, with just her mother in Tamworth, but that the midwives were her “everything at the moment”.