Any Mamas hear have a pervious c section and are gonna try a VBAC

With my first I tried to do a natural birth. After laboring for 18 hours I ended up getting an epi because I couldn’t with the pain anymore. Right before the epi I ended up getting a fever and baby was in distress. Midwives encouraged me to push with a dilation of 9.5 before I headed in for a c section. My son would not budge. I ended up with an emergency c section. This time I want to try a VBAC but I’m scared. My son ended up in the NICU for a couple of reasons. Part of me feels that if I just elect for a planned c section things for my second babe will be smoother. With my son I was over 41 weeks and he ended up swallowing his poop in the womb which caused breathing problems then he also had an ABO incompatibility which lead to jaundice. The jaundice got worse because of the breathing. I want a VBAC but what about if I go over my due date? Baby inhales poop again? Doctor said most likely I had a hard time delivering him vaginally because he was a big baby. Currently doctors are allowing me to attempt a VBAC as long as baby is on the smaller side but they will not let me go past 40 weeks.