Well, M., you've gotten advice for planning it for "better presents before Christmas" to "better presents from Christmas sales after Christmas" which saddened me, really. I remember thinking the same kind of thoughts when I was pregnant with my second baby, because she was due around 12/31 but I was experiencing a lot of BH ctx. and pre-labor discomfort starting on Christmas Day...and I was so worried that I'd devastate my child if her birth was between those dates--I didn't have her until Jan 4th (vaginal), but by then I realized how, in the grand scheme of things, some things just aren't that important. I remember my husband allaying my concern that we were going to have a new year's baby and that her birthday would be overshadowed by worldwide celebrations, and my husband said something like, "Well, then the rest of the world will be celebrating her birthday and they won't even know it." It might sound cheesy, but that helped me accept that when she comes, she comes. Some things matter more than others.
Goodness, you could have a kid on December 19th who resents having a birthday in the twelfth month, regardless of which day it is!....but you won't, because I can tell you really have been stressing about picking the "perfect" day for a life of birthdays for your sweet little one. (I knew several friends who had Dec bdays somewhere around the middle of the month and at the end and they always had fun January parties, and they seemed emotionally healthy, happy kids.)
You'll welcome Little One into the world with love and always make that day special, even if things are too hectic for a big party with kids right then (that can be done early or later). I know the health and safety of you and your baby are the priority in your mind, and it's natural to get stressed out with the limited options suggested by your doctor. (I truly hope he or she isn't recommending it out of his/her convenience, as there are some OBs who do.)
I love the website www.childbirthconnection.com because it's chock-full of information on BOTH sides of the method of delivery (c/s or vaginal) and I think it's very equal on both sides in its information. I believe a VBAC, when the mother feels safe and the health of the mother and baby are good, is a good plan, allowing flexibility if the situation changes. A dear friend of mine, because of her serious medical problems, probably won't be able to have another child, but if she did than I would recommend a c/s in her case. I know I don't have an MD behind my name, but there are good reasons out there for both sides, and it's our responsibility and privilege to learn all that we can for ourselves so that we can make the best decision for our child and ourselves with the information we have at the time.
Just so you know, 24 months is long enough for the uterus to become strong again in most past c/s cases--they actually recommend at least 18 months--(according to your OB's licensing organization, you can check the ACOG website rather than rely on me).
But childbirth connection.com can help you plan the safest repeat c/s and fulfilling experience if you choose that route, and I respect your freedom to choose, because I know you truly love and care about your baby. I just don't want you to be manipulated into picking a particular day because "the doctor told me to" without any justifications....I know what it's like to do what your ob says just because he/she says, and I just don't want you to go through something like that.
As far as the dangers of going into labor before having a scheduled c/s, the risks associated with that are so miniscule compared to the risks associated with neonatal problems in an underdeveloped c/s baby. This isn't my opinion, I've read studies on it (and it doesn't happen to everyone, but the chance of the baby not being fully developed is higher than waiting to go into labor, even if the labor ends in a c/s). I'm not giving you false info, but check it rather than believe my "word of mouth."
You asked for advice, and my advice is to go to the childbirthconnection.com website and read the different things to consider on BOTH sides, good and bad, safe or risky, and not rely on one person's experience as the only way it will be for *YOU* THIS TIME, since we never know what's around the corner with our individual body (for some people the second c/s is fine and for others it causes years of pain or numbness and sexual difficulty).
My second opinion is that if you schedule a c/s to not do it until you hit your estimated due date at the earliest. It's frequently a significantly beneficial difference in the health of the baby if she can stay inside and continue gestating (which is why we usually grow babies for around 40 weeks and not 30). I'm all for letting baby get his/her healthiest nutrition in utero for as long as he needs it (so many people forget that a gestation at term includes 42-wk gestations, which some babies need.) And sometimes the EDD is off, so the specialist might say the kid is 38 wks but after the delivery sometimes they're only 36 wks, because the dating wasn't accurate (that happens frequently, especially for women whose periods aren't always exactly 28 days). Plus, there are certain "love hormones" released when a mother goes into labor which can help the mother bond with her little one and feel satisfied in the long-term (and it's hard to quantify that, but it's beneficial when that happen).
Here's wishing you peace and beauty in your future.........E.