Debbie Williams clearly remembers really, really wanting crackers after she gave birth on a New Years Eve and her midwife went off to get some for her - and created a lasting impression.
Debbie, who has retired after 33 years with us and 37 years in total in the NHS, said: " It is such an important time in your life and you remember it forever. I remember my children's births and I want all our mums to remember theirs like I did as being a wonderful time and we all try to give them that."
Ward manager on Neo-Natal Unit, being nominated for a Celebrating Success award last year, she says, was very traumatic to her personally, as she's a team player and doesn't like a fuss.
She said: " The team is everything. You trust everyone around you and that is a fab feeling. I know they function if I'm here or not . It is not all about one person. We all come in to do our best for our patients that never goes away. And over the years we all look after each other aswell. "
She added that despite all beds being full and the unit being very busy her team had come in early to decorate her office on her last day last Friday. She added: " Working in maternity can be so litigious. But everybody in the NHS comes into work to do a good job and gives so much of themselves. Sometimes they get thanked, but lots of times they don't."
Debbie now plans to travel with her husband who retires in December and was heading off to visit her son, Joe, a professional cyclist in Belgium and spend time with her daughter Sophie who has become a critical care nurse in London.
Her outstanding midwife moments include:
* a baby in the north of Scotland being named after her when she worked there for a short time
* a mum having triplets straight off a plane from manchester Airport. : " It was a caesarian birth and we just kept finding babies," she recalls.
* many cases of twins arriving unexpectedly in the pre-scan era when not all mums were routinely scanned.
She added: " Looking back there is nothing I would change. I would do it all again."