When we think of midwives we may imagine women travelling by push bike to deliver babies during the war - but it is so much more than that.

Midwives have been an essential cog in our society, from delivering babies before the birth of the NHS to how they manage the emergencies in the labour ward.

They cover all aspects of carrying and birthing children and even help mothers after they welcome their bundle of joy.

But for the midwives who dedicate their time in and out of hospital hours to ensure every mother feels supported and in good hands, what is it really like?

We spoke to four midwives at Broomfield Hospital with a range of experience and asked them:

A midwife with mother and newborn baby

'I remember my first day and I heard screaming as soon as I started'

Georgia Mahy started her career as a midwife last year and has returned to Broomfield after a stint working in the community.

Community midwives provide care in GP practices, in your home or at children's centres and they are more likely to work with you throughout the pregnancy from the first appointment until care is taken over by a health visitor after the birth.

"I remember my first day last September and as soon as I walked on the ward, I heard screaming and I thought 'What have I got myself into?'," she laughed.

"As a student you learn with midwives there. At first they have your hands on their hands as they feel the mother's stomach, but as the process goes on, you realise their hands aren't there anymore.

Georgia Mahy has been working as a midwife for one year

"Being qualified is different to when you're a student."

The 22-year-old added: "I think you do go in blind as you can't prepare for midwifery or study before. There are some things, like science and biology, but you don't really study it before you become a student midwife.

Cher Smith, an infant feeding specialist midwife, said she was terrified before her first day.

"My first day was at Harlow and I remember the car drive and having so much anxiety," she said.

"I had done three years of training by that time and you feel that you have got to know everything.

What is a midwife?

A midwife is a professional in midwifery and specialise in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, women's sexual and reproductive health, as well as newborn care.

They are also trained to recognise the variations of normal progress of labour and understand how to deal with situations that may not be part of normal labour.

Midwives will help families with health counselling, preparing for parenthood and antenatal education.

You'll find them in any setting, from your home, in your local community and in your labour wards.

They will, in most cases, facilitate the birth if there are no complications but if they are, then doctors who are specialised in caring for women in maternity (obstetrician) will undertake the birth.

"It's like driving a car. You realise you are actually quite good at this and you have to do it completely on your own but you're absolutely terrified."

Cher joined Mid Essex Hospital Trust in January after six years as a midwife. She added: "Once you complete your first day and your first week, you feel so proud and you think 'I did that'."

People think you deliver babies all day

While the preconception may be that midwives spend all day, every day delivering babies, the group said the reality is very different.

"People think you deliver babies all the time but I haven't delivered a baby for a couple of months," Georgia said.

"My family will ask how my day was and how many babies I delivered that day but it doesn't mean you actually do.

"That said, in a labour ward, you can see up to five births in a shift."

Meet Gerogia Mahy

Name: Georgia Mahy

Age: 22

Position: Midwife

Based: Broomfield Hospital

Background: Georgia has been working as a midwife for a year, and recent spent time on a rotational shift pattern where she was placed at different birthing centres and in the community across the whole department.

She said: "I had my heart set on studying medicine and when it came to the UCAS application, I must have been watching too much Call The Midwife or something.

"I changed my mind a couple of months before even though I had the grades for medicine."

Gerogia says midwives give the best care, even if they don't have time for a break, but she loves the job.

Cher, from Harlow, added: "The labour ward is like an A&E department; there can be emergencies that arrive and it's busy.

"You never know what is in that room and how that mum or baby is.

"The ward will have eight mums and eight babies, or more if there are twins, so there are at least 16 patients per midwife."

Kate Prazsky, the labour ward coordinator at Broomfield Hospital, always knew she wanted to be a midwife. She dreamed of the day since she was 13 and began studying at the age of 19.

She said: "You do have it when women get to the point where they say 'I want to go home' and 'I want my mum'. They feel like they can't do it but they do it.

"They think they can't do it anymore, and then it's done - the baby is here."

What was their first birth like as a midwife?

Georgia has been a qualified midwife for just a year, but has gained a lot of experience in that short amount of time.

She said: "My first birth was a hypno birth and the baby's shoulders got stuck. I had never seen that before. I thought it must be normal but it wasn't.

"You are on your own but you do have the team here who are great and they support you all the way through."

Alison Cutherbertson runs the ward at Broomfield Hospital as head of maternity services. Her first birth came when she was a student in the 1980s.

Midwives at Broomfield Hospital lift the lid on what it's really like delivering babies

"I went on to the ward and the midwife was rushing around between two births and one woman didn't have anyone with her," she said.

"The midwife asked me to stay with her and when I did, the mum was asking me not to leave her.

"The three of us were all there when this baby entered the world."

Empowering women

Cher, who decided to study to become a midwife after having her own children, believes the job helps to empower women.

Meet Cher Smith

Name: Cher Smith

Age: 44

Position: Infant feeding specialist midwife

Based: Broomfield Hospital

Background: Cher qualified as a midwife in 2012 and joined Broomfield's team in January this year. She said she felt part of the team within a couple of days.

She writes the guidelines and ensures staff are up to date and informed of the procedures.

She worked as a midwife and then as a community midwife for a couple of years, before training as a lactation consultant and becoming qualified.

"For me it's about empowering women to breast feed and if they want to move on from that," she said.

"I will meet a group of parents and tell them about breast feeding. I take them through everything and they learn all the benefits and choose for themselves - that I absolutely love."

An expectant mother using an inhaler to take the pain killing drug trilene during labour, March 29, 1949.

Alison, who is 55, revealed what she says the student midwives: "I tell them when you have taken part in a birth and you bring the baby to the mum, and place them skin to skin, take a glance back as you leave the room.

"When you glance back, you see the parents look down at the baby, back at each other, and then at their baby again. You can't see that look anywhere else.

"It doesn't matter if a woman is a teenager or 50 years old when they are having that baby, it will be as empowering to that woman at any age, it really transcends them."

Sometimes births don't go to plan

Alison is head of maternity services

Cher revealed: "When I first started I put a lot of pressure on myself thinking I had to know everything.

"I thought people would be judging me on whether I knew everything but I know that isn't the case now.

"No one knows everything, but I felt I had to. There are some things that I don't know and it's actually very brave to say 'I don't know that', or 'I haven't seen that before', because that can be the case.

"People don't realise the pressure you're under. It is a life and death job, if you get it wrong, there are serious consequences."

Meet Kate Prazsky

Name: Kate Prazsky

Age: 37

Position: Labour Ward Coordinator

Based: Broomfield Hospital

Background: Kate wanted to become a midwife since she was 13-years-old, and began studying at university when she was 19.

She qualified as a midwife and began her career at Broomfield where she has worked her way through different positions, until she was promoted to Labour Ward Coordinator. She started her role after returning from maternity leave in 2011.

She also spoke about births that don't go as expected: "There are births that don't go how you expected or you feel you didn't do as well as you could have.

"Your coordinator will debrief you outside and they do tell you, you did the absolute best you could but the women and families have to go home and deal with that."

Alison explained that all mothers' care is important. The ward now has a bereavement midwife to support women and families when they lose a baby.

"It's something that is needed, for those women who go home with no baby and we have to ensure we send them home with the best memories we can make for them," said the head of maternity services.

"They won't go home with a baby in their arms and it doesn't matter if that baby is six weeks old or nine months old, people have invested their love and themselves into the pregnancy and baby."

Having to 'demystify' the odd tales parents have heard

Midwives help pregnant women prepare for birth

Georgia, who is from Havering, spoke about some of the myths surrounding childbirth

"Sometimes a group of mums and partners will think 'I don't know anything'," she said.

"You can take them through and demystify things they have heard.

"You bring it back to telling them they can do it, you get through the anxiety, you help prepare them and you get them excited as well."

Alison also said that communication is one of the most important aspects of childbirth, ensuring that staff and women are aware of what their needs are and what they can do.

"One myth is that childbirth is dangerous but it is not. It's as safe now as it ever has been. Normal births are good and even if women have assisted births, it is just as good," the 55-year-old added.

Kate, who is 37, said: "There have been a lot of changes over the years, including technology and record-keeping that we do now. The care that we provide has changed, and the information that people can access has as well.

"Now, there are no two days that are the same."

What's the best thing about being a midwife?

Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

Even though it may be hard to pinpoint, the midwives revealed their favourite thing about supporting mothers and children day in, day out.

Georgia, who gave up medicine to become a midwife, said: "Even with the pressure you are under, we all love the job so much or we wouldn't come into work every day.

"You give the best care you can and sometimes you don't get a break. You come home sometimes absolutely knackered but you are doing the job because you love it."

Meet Alison Cutherbertson

Name: Alison Cutherbertson

Age: 55

Position: Head of Maternity Services

Based: Broomfield Hospital

Background: Alison began her nursing training in 1982 in London, she then trained as a midwifery sister in 1988. She worked as a midwife in the trust in 2007 and after a stint in medicine, she came back to Broomfield as Head of Maternity Services in 2014.

Alison overlooks the maternity services and ensures the staff and patients are receiving the best support, either through the guidelines and services or in the labour ward.

"As a midwife I really love community care," Cher added.

"I'm drawn to birthing, seeing everything through and generally the community midwifery role and the team is really strong."