A beautiful story-truly a miracle! and what a blessing to have your baby at home. I had two home births as well. (they were VBACs also-I had one C-section and a natural delivery at the hospital--then, after being so disgusted with the treatment I had received by the medical establishment and also after growing in knowledge that pregnancy IS NOT AN ILLNESS! -- "I decided" to trust the MOST HIGH to do what HE designed me to do naturally.)
Also, with the decision to trust the MOST HIGH, I had to take responsibility for myself, my body, my unborn children, my pregnancy, and my birthing experience (as well as that of my children). I accepted the fact that there are no guarantees that any birth will be perfect. There is no guarantee that my home births would not be without complication JUST AS there is no 100% guarantee that all hospital births are pefect and without complications. So, I prayed about it and decided that based on my previous experiences that either way, the outcome of the birth is in the hands of the ALmighty. I would still be criticized for my decision if anything happened but I accepted full responsibility for everything. People are very forgiving if a child is stillborn in the hospital. It is "God's will." But somehow, it would be misconstrued if that happened in a homebirth.
Anyway, I was criticized, ridiculed and questioned by family and doctors for the choices I made. I did have exams and a "backup" plan -"just in case" to put people at ease. But, I was confident in myself and the MOST HIGH though. I KNEW I could do it.
I had a 10 lb 4 oz boy whopper with a 2 hour labor and 16 mos later I had a 8 lb 13 oz girl also in 2 hours. I was 37 and 38 at the time. I would love to tell more of the details but maybe in another post. The beauty of it cannot be explained in a few sentences. Sooo, it can be done. (With faith and proper nutrition, it is possible... but, I'll tell you what happened to me...)
To make a long story short....when I was 42, I delivered my 5th child in the hospital by C-Section. You know why??? I did NOT maintain my vegetarian lifestyle. I ate meat! I drank water; I exercised; and, I took my birthing herbs. BUT, all that good stuff, did not help. (I thought I coud get by becaue this was my 5th birth and I wasn't eating meat every day.) Anyway,
meat/cheese (animal protein) clogs the colon and makes the labor very painful because of the proximity of the uterus to the impacted colon. And, after many hours of very painful labor (despite taking my herbs-which probably helped me tolerate it as long as I did), I succumbed to C-Section because I felt I needed it -not pressured by the doctor/nurses.
I am not planning to have any more children, but I learned my lesson. I hope this inspires you to know thyself-know thy temple and care for it....
Peace & blessings,
Judi
PS I have posted pics from the home birth:
http://www.imageposter.com/uploads/get/47333