"Whether or not it's made a difference remains to be seen. I think if nothing else it has certainly brought more awareness to the public of what we actually do."
Frogley said several clients had raised their working conditions since the publicised march, one of several held throughout the country.
"I've never spoken to my clients before about pay and money but I'm really starting to because I think it's the women that are going to suffer.
"People are horrified and I always say it's not about making them feel guilty, I still think that maternity care should still be free, but the Government can't just expect us to keep doing it for nothing."
The College of Midwives began fighting for pay equity across the country three years ago and last year reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health to design a new funding model for community-based (LMC) midwives.
Hawke's Bay LMC midwife Sarah Glass, who wants the model to be properly funded, said it was amazing to be part of a large gathering of midwives.
"It was a really positive thing. I think it felt really good to do one last thing to make sure the Minister of Health understood the power behind what we had to say."
She remained unsure if nationwide efforts would result in the outcome they sought on Budget day.
"For me it was disappointing that there was no pre-Budget announcement.
"It would have been nice for him to give us a hint as to what is coming, given that we were all there, but he didn't do that which makes me suspicious that he thinks we won't be happy with the answer."
Frogley said while she wanted to be an optimist about what to expect come Budget day, she wasn't confident it would deliver the increase needed to keep women in the job.
"I think there will be some increase it's just whether or not it's enough... I think there's certainly a number of midwives who are at breaking point and will literally go 'that's it, I'm out'."
