If the choice for homebirth is based on insurance/financial issues then check into this:
Many HB midwives will reduce their fee because you have already had so many prenatals. They also will reduce the fee if you want them to just show up at your house for the birth and you can continue your prenatal care at the docs.
Also consider hiring a doula (if you have not already!) One who is experienced with VBAC birth.
You can also get a hotel room right near the hospital (usually there is one across the street) and labor there until the last second...or just birth there and call 911 if needed. :) I have had many a client do this.

Have you ever visited ICAN(International Cesarean Awareness Network) at all? www.ican-online.org They have an email support group too (I am a member) you may get some ideas and/or help there. Heck, we have midwives on the list, some that will travel, and may be able to help you.
Though I am not pregnant yet, I understand your frustrations. I wanted a VBAC in a birth center--won't take me for "liability issues" (I also had a previous cesarean), I am petrified of a hospital causing another c/s, so at this point, planning a HBAC.
Feel free to email me micheledemont@gmail.com if you want to talk more.
Michele
www.birthcut.com

Yes, relaxation is definitely something I should be practicing. I'm manic and high functioning by nature, and I just cannot seem to shut this anxiety off.
Actually, my insurance carrier suggested the same thing about just calling an ambulance, but the problem is that I won't have any say where I end up, and there aren't any good "birth" centers around here. West Suburban has a midwife center but they already said they wouldn't take me because I've had a prior c/s and they don't have a backup doctor right now. The one nice thing about my hospital is that all the birthing rooms are private suites where John can stay with me the whole time. At a normal hospital, I'd be sharing a room with some stranger and John would be getting kicked out. Eff that noise.
ughgh.... it's all too complicated. I wanna go back to bed.

IF you have to deliver in a hospital, that doesn't neccessarily mean that you have to drive to Chicago to deliver.
Around you in, let's say a 10 or 15 mile radius, there are quite a few hospitals, such as the following: Oak Park, Loyola, LaGrange, Hinsdale, MacNeal, Oak Lawn, Loretto (DON'T even think about going here (duh) unless you feel like getting shot on the way or picking up a few dime bags on the trip home), West Suburban, Resurrection, Elmhurst... you get the picture.
Did I mention all those nice paramedics in your area? If you were in labor and happened to call 911, you'll have a white and green Brookfield ambulance in front of your house PRONTO. Don't forget to tell the dispatcher about your previous C-Section and any complications you had.
Going from the south Brookfield (Congress Park) fire house by Jaycee Ehlert Park to your place would probably take somewhere in the ballpark of under 5 minutes. Then not only would you be taken into the ER by a bunch of hot guys in blue, you're less likely to get kicked out from the hospital for whatever reason (such as lack of dilation, etc.) AND there's a good chance that these guys can put a smile on your face.
It seems like Washington is way more liberal, especially on all sorts of health care issues. This is a good example. I know people with no money, no insurance, and so on that totally decided how they were going to deliver. An example is this one friend we'll call friend X. She was unemployed and not insured when it came time to deliver her son, Orion. She was able to be taken care of from a midwife her friend had enjoyed, she got to debate with herself whether she was going to deliver at home or at a birthing center, she was able to have water birth just like she wanted, etc. (NOTE: she actually was laboring at a birthing center OUTSIDE a pool, her choice, and ended up being taken to the hospital because of the presence of too many minerals within her water sac- found after it broke, of course. She also gave birth vaginally. Supposedly there is a video tape to prove this.)
The best part? Not only did the state pick up the price tag, but in addition mom, dad, and baby were insured by the state INCLUDING dental (insurance was only temporary for dad). Most of this, in my experience, would NEVER happen in Illinois.
Anyway, my original point was that if you have to deliver at a hospital you don't neccessarily need to travel to Chicago in order to give birth. Technically, if you are in labor and have already dilated a descent amount, the hospital CAN'T turn you down. Also, the staff will know nothing about you, so while you need to tell them about your previous C-section, unlike the doctor that you've been seeing for check ups, these people will not walk in the room already having their mind made up (to some extent) that they want to cut you up. Hey, if you go to Loyola, in comparison to the hospital you're supposed to go to, there is a better chance that someone who helps to treat you will know what the fuck they are doing. It's not like Loyola is one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation and obviously one of the best in the area-- only being beat out probably by Northwestern and U of Chicago.
Also, I do not obviously know shit about your insurance but if you go to a different hospital because of some emergency, complication, or whatnot, they could possibly pick up the bill. Having the previous C-Section is an advantage for you in some ways since you can use it to "manipulate" the system in order to get what you want. Yeah, so I guess you can say that the previous C-Section gives you more power in this type of situation... either that or it'll at least get you a bit more sympathy (in a good way) and kindness overall.
Hot damn, you're going to be giving birth (hopefully vaginally) any day now! Another friend is due, according to her midwife, anytime between the 10th and the 20th of this month. She's having her second child AND is expecting a baby boy just like you. Her other child is a girl named Athena (how cool is that name?) and she is 8, I believe. The entire family is anticipating this as they have looked forward to the healthy delivery of their second baby for 2 or 3 years now. I believe mom is going to do the same thing as before in that she is probably giving birth at home NATURALLY. Ouch!
Things went well for her the first time and I hope that I can say this about the birth of your second child. You have a loving husband and son already and I bet they are both anticipating the new arrival. If you do breast feed as you plan to (and I really hope you do very successfully), I know that the explanation that you and your husband will give to your oldest will be a model for everyone else in our fucked up country. I know that you're going to raise your children to not fear the breast but to fear the bottle instead. This is a big issue for me as I grew up with a basic knowledge but without ever discussing it with my parents and without ever seeing it despite the large number of babies and toddlers I've had in my presence.
There ya go... my (temporary) insomnia rant, but I tell the truth when I say that I meant every word and that I'll stick by what I believe, which includes the contents above.
Take care. Rest and elevate your legs (it's good for your circulation), drink some chamomile tea, and just relax as much as you can. The more relaxed you are, the better your labor is going to be... or so that's what I hear.
~lisa :)