Brooklyn Guentzel

Brooklyn Irene Guentzel was 41 weeks arriving on Friday, June 17, 2016. She was 6lbs 14.7 oz and 20 inches long. She was a healthy baby with a normal pregnancy. We had an induction scheduled on Thursday evening to begin labor.  During labor she became stressed from the long labor which caused problems.Brooklyn has the following diagnosis:

-Severe MAS (Meconium Aspiration Syndrome) 5-10% of all births and can lead to permanent brain damage and lung damage

-Pulmonary hypertension  - life-threatening condition of high blood pressure

-Neonatal encephalopathy -abnormal neurological function, reduced level of consciousness or seizures, and often accompanied by difficulty with initiating and maintaining respiration, and by depression of tone and reflexes




During labor, Brooklyn became stressed while in the womb. Upon delivery she required resuscitation.  She was oxygen deprived and swallowed 12 mL of meconium(poop) in her stomach and inhaled her meconium in her lungs. Pooping in the womb is common of an overdue baby. Inhaling and swallowing the meconium is not common and causes severe problems. When she was delivered she was not breathing. She was taken by ambulance to the U of M Children's Hospital arriving 12-1am Friday night. Weather was not suitable to airlift her with helicopter and they brought a NICU team of 7 people in the ambulance for her needs. Chad and other family arrived to the U of M as Brooklyn arrived in the cities during the middle of the night Friday. Kirsten was discharged shortly after delivering to also come to the cities.


Brooklyn's chances of survival were slim. She was rushed to the NICU unit and into their most severe/acute room. She was sedated and body temp was lowered for 72 hours. This allowed doctors to remove meconium from her stomach and lungs without spreading infection further. She has had blood transfusions, lots of IVs and needle pokes. She required 100% oxygen along with Nitric Oxide when she arrived with many other machines attached to her body. Her blood pressure was also very concerning. She is also hooked up to an EEG machine to watch for seizures due to the potential infections that could spread to the brain. This is because she was deprived of oxygen when she was delivered. The first x-ray of her lungs was not shown to Kirsten and Chad because of how disappointing it was. It was so cloudy you could not see any ribs or any darkness/clarity in the lungs. On day 2, doctors provided a comparison of day 1 and day 2 x-ray and the remarkable improvement Brooklyn had already made.

Day 2 of Brooklyn's life: She showed strength inside and out. Reducing the amount of oxygen needed and other improvements, she was wowing the doctors. Although she was improving, there is also a long road ahead of her.

Day 4: With the help of 3 nurses maneuvering her cords, Brooklyn got to be held by her parents for the first time!