In a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Lyric Walsh, DNP, CNM, a McLaren Flint licensed midwife, who has been a partner and trusted guide for countless women as they navigate their pregnancies, has achieved a significant career milestone by delivering her 1,000th child.
On Friday, April 18, Walsh was by the side of Jessica Akoto at McLaren Flint as Jessica welcomed her baby boy into the world.
“It’s an indescribable privilege to be trusted by families during such an intimate and life-changing time, and I’m deeply humbled and honored,” Walsh said. “Being a midwife has allowed me to combine my passion of providing care with the deep, emotional, and human connection that comes with birth work.”
Walsh recalled delivering her first baby on July 3, 2007, which followed her pursuit of a Certified Nurse-Midwife credential — a pursuit she was motivated to undertake following a lifelong fascination with the ability to bear and nurture children, and her ambition to provide the best possible care for those mothers. She would continue her education and training to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
“For mothers choosing to deliver with their expertise and guidance, midwives serve an essential role,” said Dr. Brian Tesler, McLaren Health Care Medical Director of Women’s Health. “In investing time with the mother throughout their pregnancy journey and developing a genuine relationship with them, midwives provide a measure of compassion, calm, and reassurance. Achieving 1,000 deliveries is an incredible career accomplishment, and it is a reflection of Lyric’s skill and dedication to her patients.”
While the perception may be that a midwife specializes solely in childbirth, a comprehensive midwifery program provides care to women throughout all stages of their lives, as their physiology and health continue to develop, beginning as early as their adolescent and teen years through their golden years.
Learn more about the midwifery program at McLaren Flint and all McLaren Health Care locations at mclaren.org/midwife.
About McLaren Flint
McLaren Flint is a 378-bed tertiary teaching hospital in Flint, Michigan, offering a full range of comprehensive and advanced services for residents in greater Genesee County. McLaren Flint is affiliated with Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine in its medical residency programs, including family practice, internal medicine, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery. McLaren Flint also maintains Fellowship programs in vascular surgery, health psychology, cardiology, and pulmonary and critical care in partnership with MSU. McLaren Flint is certified as a BCBSM Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery and Spine Surgery and has earned the Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center Designation by the Joint Commission and 2024 Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Award for Stroke Care from the American Heart Association. McLaren Flint is further designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology and holds Laboratory Accreditation from the American College of Pathologists. The Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint is accredited by the American College of Radiology Radiation Oncology Practice and Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium (MROQC) 2021 Gold. Learn more at mclaren.org/flint.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $7.3 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 12 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 640-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. McLaren has 20,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.