A MIDWIFE who has been described as a "credit to her profession" has won a nationwide award.

Suzanne Brailsford, from Irvine, picked up the Midwife of the Year Award for Scotland at the annual Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Annual Midwifery Awards.

Ms Brailsford was nominated by Samantha Butcher after helping to deliver her son, Ceejay, in July 2014 at University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock.

Ms Butcher had to be taken into the medical labour ward for the birth of her second child, as her pulse was too high for the midwifery suite.

Her first experience with child birth, four years prior, had left her anxious.

However, she praised midwife Ms Brailsford for staying by her side throughout the birth to listen to her and comfort her. It was this care and attention that helped to keep her calm and lower her pulse so that her son could be delivered safely.

Ms Butcher said: "Suzanne is the kind of midwife that everyone hopes for. She's a credit to the profession. Without Suzanne by my side I doubt my labour would have gone as smoothly as it did. Her calm manner and professionalism helped to reassure me and made it a special experience."

Ms Butcher subsequently nominated Ms Brailsford for the Johnson's Baby Mums' Midwife of the Year award, the only national award which allows mothers to nominate their midwife for providing "exceptional care before, during and after" the birth of their child.

Ms Brailsford said: "I was delighted to be able to support Samantha, enabling her to labour and birth in a relaxed manner without rush or intervention. Every woman deserves this and I am so proud to be recognised with this award for helping her in this way."

She will collect her trophy along with the UK's five other regional winners at the RCM Annual Awards ceremony in London on March 3.