Makenzie Schulze
August 2023
Makenzie
Schulze
,
BSN, RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Towson
,
MD
United States
We could tell how special Makenzie was and how much compassion and effort she puts into her job daily. We were lucky to have her cross our path when she did.
After years of struggle and heartbreak, we were finally pregnant and expecting our first child. Through surgeries, tears, and several rounds of IVF, we were ready to meet our boy; he was our last viable embryo!
After a relatively easy pregnancy, we went to GBMC to have the scheduled C-section. Once our boy was born, he was quickly taken to get his measurements and weights by two nurses; one of those nurses was Makenzie. I could not help but notice how caring and sweet she was with our child, who was just minutes old. Soon, I was whisked to recovery as my wife’s surgery was finishing. There, for the first time, I could hold my son, welcome him to the world, and just have a special moment. There, Makenzie offered to take some photos to capture the moment. My wife came in shortly after, and we were finally a family of three! Here, Makenzie asked us what we decided to name him! We were between two names. We talked to Makenzie about those options and the reasons behind each. But we were still not sure just yet! During the 15-minute wellness checks, the nurses noticed that our baby was working very hard to breathe, and they quickly made the swift determination that he needed to go to the NICU. We could not let him go up to the NICU all alone without a name! We both decided on H, and away he went. The next several hours were the most intense and scary of my life. We never expected to go to the NICU, but we were SO lucky to have the GBMC NICU. The around-the-clock care and support was so integral for H.
We were lucky enough that one day during his stay, Makenzie was H’s nurse! Her face lit up when she came into the room, and she was so happy to see he was doing so much better! She asked us how we decided on the name H. This may seem like a small detail, but we could tell how special Makenzie was and how much compassion and effort she puts into her job daily. We were lucky to have her cross our path when she did.
We have been home now for 7 weeks and are loving every second with our sweet boy, H. We were able to go to the Father's Day 5K at GBMC which benefits the NICU to show support for our favorite group of heroes. As we rolled H around in his stroller, Makenzie came up, gave us a hug, and asked how he was doing! The compassion she has for this job and all the babies like H who need her is truly touching. We are so honored and so lucky that Makenzie was there for H when he needed her and the team the most.
After a relatively easy pregnancy, we went to GBMC to have the scheduled C-section. Once our boy was born, he was quickly taken to get his measurements and weights by two nurses; one of those nurses was Makenzie. I could not help but notice how caring and sweet she was with our child, who was just minutes old. Soon, I was whisked to recovery as my wife’s surgery was finishing. There, for the first time, I could hold my son, welcome him to the world, and just have a special moment. There, Makenzie offered to take some photos to capture the moment. My wife came in shortly after, and we were finally a family of three! Here, Makenzie asked us what we decided to name him! We were between two names. We talked to Makenzie about those options and the reasons behind each. But we were still not sure just yet! During the 15-minute wellness checks, the nurses noticed that our baby was working very hard to breathe, and they quickly made the swift determination that he needed to go to the NICU. We could not let him go up to the NICU all alone without a name! We both decided on H, and away he went. The next several hours were the most intense and scary of my life. We never expected to go to the NICU, but we were SO lucky to have the GBMC NICU. The around-the-clock care and support was so integral for H.
We were lucky enough that one day during his stay, Makenzie was H’s nurse! Her face lit up when she came into the room, and she was so happy to see he was doing so much better! She asked us how we decided on the name H. This may seem like a small detail, but we could tell how special Makenzie was and how much compassion and effort she puts into her job daily. We were lucky to have her cross our path when she did.
We have been home now for 7 weeks and are loving every second with our sweet boy, H. We were able to go to the Father's Day 5K at GBMC which benefits the NICU to show support for our favorite group of heroes. As we rolled H around in his stroller, Makenzie came up, gave us a hug, and asked how he was doing! The compassion she has for this job and all the babies like H who need her is truly touching. We are so honored and so lucky that Makenzie was there for H when he needed her and the team the most.