Xavier's birth story (and 103 hour labor) Part One

Yes, you read that right. 103 hours. 99 of which were quite blissful and lovely. Yes, again, you read that right. More about that later. This is part one, and I'm going to talk about my pregnancy and how I came to the decision to have a HBAC (home birth after cesarean)
I started my pregnancy (my third) seeing an OB/GYN and expecting a repeat C-section. Months prior to my due date I started getting anxious. I hated the surgery, hated being separated from my daughter even though we were both fine, and hated the recovery time. I brought up this anxiety to my doctor and she brushed off my concerns, stating that we'd have plenty of time to worry about that later.
After that appointment, I started looking into VBAC. None of the hospitals in my area would do it. I would have to travel to another county. I was willing, but worried. I did more research.
I even joked that we could set up a pool in the apartment downstairs in my brother in law's living room and labor there. Everyone laughed but to me it was only half joke. The thought process had started.
Soon after, a friend of mine gave me the name of a midwife in the area who did home-births and whom she had known for about 30 years. I was floored. It was a possibility in my mind but never actually believed I'd find a home-birth midwife. I got home and added her on Facebook. We set up an appointment to meet. I just had to get through the OB appointment before the midwife's appointment.
The midwife at the OB's office was less than supportive. Actually, she was quite rude. She told me it would be irresponsible and too risky to have a HBAC. I told her I would not be having another section, and since I couldn't have a VBAC through her practice or hospital, it left me with little choice. She shook her head. (I found out later she went on to actually go so far as schedule the section anyhow)
Finally. Over. I got about the same reaction from everyone. Parents, family, nobody was very supportive. Everyone thought I had gone off the deep end. Crazy! A few friends spoke up and told me how cool they thought it was that I was going to be trying to do this at home, and a few mentioned how they wished they could do it, too.
Finally. I didn't feel so ALONE.
That week, what I was waiting for. I still had no idea how much a home birth would cost or whether my insurance would cover any or all of it.
I got my answers. A home birth would cost us more than we could afford, and no, our insurance wouldn't cover a dime. Great. Defeated, I started thinking about the surgery again and how horrible it would be.
Then I got a message from the midwife. She told me that if she got into birthing babies for the money, she wouldn't be doing it for thirty years. We set up a payment plan. A home birth was within my reach and it felt wonderful!
I was only about a month and a half away from my due date, and I had made a major change close to the end of the game. Again, crazy, right? I ordered the birth supplies that we would need and prayed I didn't go into labor before they arrived. The cloth diapers came, I attended a birth class through my midwife, and then the birth kit arrived. All this while, I was attending bi-weekly appointments with my OB/GYN as well, and prenatal appointments through my midwife. I put the supplies in a drawer, set up the bassinet, and cleaned everything.
I couldn't wait to give birth in my own bed, and have my labor go the way I wanted it to. No IV's, no restrictions on movement, no continuous monitoring, I was so excited.
...to be continued...