We may be biased, but Merseyside mums are the best of the best and we couldn't love them any more if we tried.
Today, families across Merseyside and beyond will come together to celebrate mums, nans and the inspiring women in their lives for Mother's Day. For a number of women, it will be their first time celebrating the occasion - or even the day that they give birth for the very first time.
For decades, midwives across the region have been there for those life changing moments. And with that seen the city and life for women change around them.
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As part of the Liverpool ECHO's How It Used To Be series, we spoke to midwife Sarah McGrath, 58, from the Liverpool Women's Hospital about delivering Merseyside babies for over 30 years and how life for mother's has changed in the city in years gone by.
Sarah, originally from Hoylake, first trained and qualified as a nurse before becoming a midwife in 1989. She told the ECHO: "I was first based in Oxford street and Mill Road, I did the majority of my training in Oxford Street.
"It was very different to how the Women’s is now, it was very small in comparison and it was just a standalone maternity unit. It was like an old Victorian building, there were wards with about eight beds and the women tended to stay in for much longer than they do now.
"If you were working on the wards you really got to know everybody and it was really nice. They'd be in for about five or six days, even if they had a normal delivery. We really bonded with the women and the women bonded with each other because they were in the same room together for so many days."
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When Sarah first qualified, she worked on the delivery suite before working in the community for home births. Since the late 80s and early 90s, she said she's seen trends come and go from Merseyside families.
Sarah said: "In the 90s, it was really fashionable for baby girls to have these massive dresses on with loads of frills in bright pink satin like colours, with hats or bows in their hair. But you don't see that as much any more, that’s one thing that stands out to me.
"The equipment you have for your baby, there’s loads more than you used to have 30 years ago. The prams are so different now, they are so complicated and different to when I had my kids.
"I had a basic pram and now it’s sort of like trying to buy a car deciding what pram to get. You always get trends of names if there's somebody famous on the television or a film star or a popstar. I think in Liverpool you do see more traditional names going through."
In over three decades, Sarah, like many of her colleagues has also seen life in the city change, as well as delivering generations of the same family. Sarah said: "I remember a young lady I was looking after and her mum was there and I was thinking I'm sure I recognise you.
"She said you delivered her and I was like oh my god that's so weird. One of our lovely domestics on the corridor here I looked after her children and she’s always showed me photographs of them and how they’re getting on. They’re like in their 20s now which is really scary, but it's lovely.
"We see a lot more women who aren't just from Liverpool, so we have a big diverse culture now in Liverpool and that's really great. It just makes it more interesting for us, there's different cultures with different needs and it's just learning about those."
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In the early days of her career, Sarah said home births weren't discouraged, but they weren't as common in comparison to now. Inevitably, like many other industries, Sarah has seen midwifery change and develop with the times.
She said: "A document came out called Changing Childbirth and it was really about focusing on the women and I think before that maybe that didn't happen so much. It was looking at how we could look at women's’ choice, what women wanted, what their families wanted which was never really talked about before that, it was what we decided to do as a profession.
"It really did change things and there was a lot more choice for women and we’ve seen that over the years. That’s really made a difference and women have been taken into consideration much more than they used to."
Whenever a baby is born it is always a special day for their family, but every year a number of women celebrate their first Mother's Day on the day they give birth. Sarah said: "I think being a midwife in Liverpool is really special because the women of Liverpool are so lovely - they're just brilliant.
"It's always nice to be working on Mother’s Day in the hospital, especially if it’s their first baby, seeing women become mums for the first time. In the hospital we always make a big fuss of the mums and in the past we’ve given out gifts to all the mums who’ve had their babies on Mother's Day. We just try to make it as special as we can for them."
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Now over 30 years as a midwife, Sarah said it is a privilege for her and her colleagues to deliver the next generation in Merseyside and that she loves being a part of so many incredible moments. Sarah said: "It just makes you feel really special that you could have played a part in the one of most important times in their lives.
"They might not remember your name but they’ll remember your face, so often I'll be going around Tesco's and women have come up to me and said you delivered my baby - it's just a nice feeling. Liverpool is a quite a small city and people tend to stay here for generations.
"There's that real family and real community spirit so I think that what makes us stand out amongst other cities and places. The Liverpool Women's Hospital is a really busy environment to work in but it’s a lovely environment - the women and the colleagues you work with just make it so special."
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