Meet Our Mom: Victoria B

Hello,

My name is Victoria Brizendine. I just delivered my second child, my son, on December 13, 2018, at AdventHealth Altamonte Springs. My pregnancy was nothing like my first. It was much more uncomfortable and felt like I was pregnant for a lifetime but we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy by the end of it!

It was such a surprise when I found out I was pregnant in April 2018. The only reason I took a pregnancy test was because smells around me were magnified 10x and, of course, I missed my period. We already have a two-year-old daughter, Adaline, and we were planning on waiting until she was three or four to have our next one, but God had different plans for us. The beginning of my pregnancy was a breeze. I was still able to workout when I had time and I was fortunate enough to not have any morning sickness. The second trimester is when it all began. I never really had morning sickness, but I couldn’t brush my teeth without running to the toilet, I had horrible ligament pains, and Braxton hicks constantly. By the time my third trimester rolled around I was beyond ready to have this baby boy. At 36 weeks pregnant I went to the hospital due to false labor, but I was 2.5 cm dilated. I thought he was coming early, and I was so relieved. But, he needed to cook a little bit longer. By 37 weeks I was going to the hospital every other day because the contractions were so intense and I had progressed to 3-4 cm dilated. By the end of week 37 I was so physically and mentally exhausted. I cried every time the nurses and midwives would send me home and tell me to just rest. At my 38 weeks check in Dr. Cruz informed me that I could be induced at 39 weeks if little man had not arrived by then. I was so relieved to hear that! At that time, I was 4-5 cm dilated but I just wasn’t progressing fast enough to be admitted.

Fortunately, I did not have to wait till 39 weeks! I had my 38 weeks check in on Tuesday December 11th and by Thursday December 13th baby boy had decided to come on his own. At around 3:15 am on December 13th I was woken up by strong contractions. But I made myself relax because I did not want to go to the hospital to be told to go home and rest again, so I laid in bed until 5:15 am and counted my contractions. I woke up Austin at 5:15 am barely able to talk, with contractions every 2-3 minutes and said we needed to go, baby boy was coming! What a perfect Christmas gift!! Thankfully my mom had volunteered to let our two-year-old daughter spend the night that night before, so I could rest and we didn’t have to wait until my parents were able to get her because I would have had our baby boy in the car if we did! We got checked into our room at Altamonte around 6:20 am and when I was checked I had progressed to 6 cm dilated. We got admitted and moved to our labor and delivery room where I met my nurse Bridget and the person that would administer my epidural. By this time my contractions were very strong and painful! I was given my epidural and Dr. Cruz came in to check on me one more time – I had already progressed to 10 cm by 8 am! He let my epidural set in and broke my water after 20 minutes. 8 minutes later baby Clayton officially made his arrival! He was born at 8:42 am weighing 9.2 lbs, 21in long. We were so in love! I am so thankful for the nurses who were there to help me push and motivate and encourage me the whole time. But I especially want to thank Dr. Cruz. He made this time around so smooth and he really took the time to hear all of my concerns at every checkup. The whole staff at AdventHealth during my whole pregnancy was phenomenal and made the process enjoyable even through my discomfort.

Life at home with a baby this time around I am making it a point to enjoy it more! As a new mom with my first child everything was brand new and I was always worried about if I was doing everything right. I am making it a priority to sit back and enjoy my littles while they are still little! It is such an amazing experience to get to see our baby girl enjoy her new baby brother. I did, however, forget that breast feeding is a full-time job on its own and even with my son being 8 weeks now, it is still a learning process.

Life as a mother of two is a roller coaster and a blessing all at once. It can be crazy at times with a two-year-old and a newborn but it’s also an experience I am so happy that I get to sit front row and center for. I make it a point to love on Adaline extra when I can. She hasn’t been jealous of her new baby brother yet except at night when she wants her back patted so she can go to sleep, and I am having to attend to her brother. I am still learning and trying new things to make sure she is always included. I find it more difficult to go places now especially if it’s just the littles and I and dad is not going. I now need a two-hour time span to get everyone ready, including myself, whereas before I only needed a half hour or so. I would say that is the most difficult part about having two children now.

I chose The Baby Place at AdventHealth for Women because of Dr. Cruz. When I was pregnant with my first child, I went to a doctor’s office where it felt like I was on a conveyor belt. I was in and out and the next person right behind me was called. I didn’t feel any connection with the doctor and I always felt rushed and that my pregnancy didn’t matter. I was referred to Dr. Cruz from my cousin and I am so thankful for that! My first appointment with him was really why I stayed. I laid down on the table and he put the gel on my belly and tried to find my babies heartbeat. Once he found it his face lit up with the biggest and most sincere smile. At that moment all my worries went away, and I knew I had found the doctor I was supposed to stay with. I am still, to this day, so thankful for him and I hope to have him deliver all of my children if we choose to have more. He made each pregnancy journey I’ve had special and enjoyable. I honestly, could not have done it without him!

I would really love to thank all nurses from each of Dr. Cruz’s offices, the Lake Mary office, as well as the Altamonte office. Even if I saw a different nurse at each appointment, they were always so friendly, helpful and informative. I’d also like to thank my labor and delivery nurse for helping me through the whole process. I did not have my family there for this delivery like I did for my first child, so they really came through for me as a support system. I’d also like to thank the nurses that took care of me and my newborn after delivery. I was able to go home the next day and I truly believe it was because they helped me recover faster and helped me with anything I needed. Finally, I just want to thank God and ask him to bless each and everyone of these people that helped me through my pregnancy journey and treated my whole family like family throughout the process. The nurses and staff at AdventHealth for Women are truly God-sent and deserve the world for what they do on a daily basis for other mommas like me!