As the clock ticked past midnight, the midwives were as busy as ever at the Launceston General Hospital.
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It was perhaps fitting that the arrival of Mother's Day heralded in the arrival of three new babies in the early morning, more than usual.
There was Rachel Duff of Youngtown with her newborn Henry James, an attentive and alert baby.
Sophie Williams of Launceston proudly held Daisy Illuka, already sporting a full head of hair.
And Kristy and Brenden Lyons of Pipers River welcomed Thomas Stephen into the world, to the awe of his big brother Joseph, aged 2.
As the morning progressed, more expectant mothers went into labour as the hospital's midwives were run off their feet.
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But LGH widwife Stacey Pendrey said it was always a pleasure to be able to help mothers give birth every day at the hospital, particularly on Mother's Day.
"It's particularly a special time for first-time mums when it happens on Mother's Day," she said.
"It's nice to be a mum myself and be here to see new mums welcoming their babies into the world.
"When you're a midwife, there's always the potential that another mum will come in at any time, we could have no births or we could have a dozen in a day."
First-time mum Ashli Thornhill also spent the morning in the maternity ward after giving birth to Archer Eli three days earlier, whose father Matthew West described as the perfect Mother's Day present.
Several other mothers also spent the morning in the maternity ward after giving birth in the past few days.
Mother's Day 2019 also coincided with International Nurses Day, held on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, May 12.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia sought to use the occasion to highlight the pressing need for support to bring more nurses to rural areas.
RDAA president Adam Coltzau said with the election coming up on Saturday, the next federal government needed to give rural nurses access to training opportunities.
"Some of the key areas of need in the bush are nurses with advanced training in operating theatre skills, midwifery, mental health and children's health," he said.
"It is essential that nurses who are delivering this care to a rural community can access the training locally where possible."