You've gotten a ton of responses already! I wanted to be a rebuttal to the ones who questioned, what difference does it make how the baby is born and I've had csections and they went fine, what's the big deal...
My csection was preplanned, scheduled in advance, no hurry, no bustle. I held the baby as soon as I was out of recovery and nursed within a reasonable amount of time. My recovery was picture perfect, no infection, no nicked bowel or bladder, walking (if slowly) the next day, no narcotics after I was released on the third day. As easy and good an experience as it could be.
My vbac was very different. It was a spontaneous labor, so every hustle and bustle you can imagine, this time with a toddler to get settled with grandparents, a mad dash to the vbac-friendly hospital some 45 minutes away. No pain meds (wouldn't have had time for them if I'd wanted any). It was crazy.
I'd do the normal, natural birth over the scheduled c in a heartbeat.
It was SPECTACULAR. It was EXCRUCIATING. and WONDERFUL. And excruciatingly wonderful. The time between his birth and my holding him is measured in seconds, not hours. I was completely lucid; no being doped-up, can't hold my eyes open, shaking from the anesthestic, puking if I try to sit up. You've heard of the "runner's high"? When you feel so good after you excerise? I was FLYING. For two or three hours afterward, I was so high off the endorphins and bonding hormones they were about scraping me off the ceiling; I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Remember how you felt physically after the section? Now imagine being able to sit up, swing your legs off the table, and walk down the hall, babe in arms, talking and laughing. Remember how you were on a liquid diet after the surgery? I was inhaling a ham and pineapple pizza two hours after the birth. And the recovery was no comparison. You're not allowed to lift x number of pounds for x number of weeks after the surgery. Can you imagine not being able to pick up one of your babies when she's in front of you with her arms lifted up? No way.
So there is no way, NO WAY, short of a medical emergency that I would voluntarily sign up for major abdominal surgery for the birth of my baby. Imagine for a moment that this new baby was entering your life through adoption instead of birth. Would you voluntarily sign up for an elective surgery the day someone handed you a newborn? Heck no! So why would you choose that for this baby?
So that's my emotional pitch. If you're a stats/numbers person, how bout this? Studies have shown that a surgical birth has a rate of maternal mortality (that is to say, the mother dies) two to four times higher than in vaginal birth. That alone was the stat that made me go for it. I couldn't bear the thought that a cesarean made it more likely that I would widow my husband and leave my children motherless. And here's another stat: about 80% of women who attempt a vbac succeed.
ICAN (a cesarean awareness group) has four chapters in NC - in Raleigh, Nags Head, Charlotte, and Greenville. I don't know which of those you're closer to, but you ought to check it out! http://ican-online.org/chapter/search
Some of my favorite sites:
www.vbacfacts.com
http://plus-size-pregnancy.org/CSANDVBAC/csvbacindex.html
L., Mom of Two
Co-Leader ICAN of Nashville
Aspiring Childbirth Educator