8 months pregnant.

Yesterday I signed my VBAC consent form. According to my doctor, I am an ideal candidate and have a 80% chance of success. What a nice little round number. So, I have an 8 out of 10 chance of delivering my second baby girl how nature intended without having to have my body cut open. It means that I have a higher than likely chance of having my baby put on my chest when she is born, that I will not have to go to a recovery room without her, that we can have a skin-to-skin welcome as soon as she comes into the world. I can sing her happy birthday.

This number will only apply to me if my body goes into labor naturally before a deadline. Most likely the deadline will be 41 weeks though I will push for 42. If I do not go into labor naturally then I am out of luck because I refuse another induction and all those nasty drugs that will only end in cesarean anyway. There is really nothing I want more right now than another healthy baby and to not be in that 20% that gets cut up once more. Whenever I get frustrated my insurance won't cover a homebirth, or I feel that my VBAC is really a shot in the dark, I am reminded that what comes out of c-sections isn't so bad.

Actually, it can be wonderful.