VBAC stories, can I hear yours?

We are thinking about trying for baby #2. My first birth was awful and the hospital pushed a lot of things that I firmly believe caused my labor to stop and ended in a traumatic emergency c section where both of us almost died and I had passed out on the way to the OR. I literally thought I was dead. There were a lot of complications after birth as well because of the epidural. So I just don’t want to go to a hospital next time. I don’t want an epidural. I don’t want needles and hospital beds and nurses constantly in and out of the room. I want privacy. I want a natural birth. At home if possible. I’m even thinking about waiting to learn the gender. Would you learn the gender? I think that I might wait til baby is born like the ye olden days lol. We can ask for gift cards and diapers instead of clothing and toys. It would be fun to to some bulk shopping when baby is born I think.