I've been reading this thread with some interest, and sometimes a sense of sadness. I think in some ways we're missing the point here...that being, WHY as a society are we now so unconfident in our own bodies, and so untrusting about our ability to birth children and get through the experience just fine (in a normal childbirth, I mean!), that some of us would rather have major abdominal surgery than just go ahead and do it?
That doesn't mean, by the way, that I'm dissing ANYONE for her own informed choice, but I do sometimes wonder how much of it is simply borne of fear. I agree that a traumatic previous birth can make a very good medical case for elective caesarian delivery, as (for one thing) an excess of adrenaline during labour can slow the whole thing down and even sometimes stop it altogether. But there are specific risks to any surgery, and some specific to c-section, that have personally convinced me I would only ever want to go through that as a last resort.
For instance, a baby born by c-section is more likely to experience breathing difficulties (due to the process of vaginal birth squeezing excess fluid from the lungs), and it's thought that the act of waiting for the baby to go through the hormonal and other changes it does before being 'ready' to be born has a positive effect on its endocrine response too. There is also a known higher risk of stillbirth in later pregnancies, partly due to an increased incidence of placental problems such as placenta praevia or placenta accreva.
For the mother, there's an increased risk of postnatal infection, adhesions and so on, as well as the normal risks inherent with any major surgery (DVT, for instance). Despite comments about the fear of urinary incontinence following a vaginal birth, current research suggests that there isn't any significantly increased long-term risk of this for most women, and that most cases can be remedied by postnatal pelvic floor exercises to boot.
Of course there are risks to vaginal childbirth, but for the average woman with no pressing medical reason for a c-section, it's statistically the less risky option. It doesn't work out for everyone - I have a friend who needs a caesarian in a couple of weeks, despite having planned for a vaginal delivery - but I do feel sad that so many women seem to feel they couldn't handle birth without surgery. To be honest, I think it's a symptom of a wider societal problem rather than an error in any individual woman's thinking.
By the way, none of this is intended to berate anyone's choices on here - it's my opinion and something I've thought about a lot, but I know others will feel very differently. Whatever choice you're making, or have made in the past, I genuinely hope it's the right one for you and your baby.