My first pregnancy was relatively uneventful. My daughter was delivered by an OB/GYN in hospital at 41 weeks. For my second pregnancy, four years later, I decided to get a midwife. Everything was going great until 16 weeks in. 
After a routine visit with my dermatologist, I was diagnosed with lupus, which totally derailed my birth plan. Antibodies from lupus can cause fetal complications, so my midwife referred me to a physician specializing in maternal-fetal medicine. Within weeks, my prenatal team ballooned to six MDs (including four specialists) and I had non-stop appointments. 
While the majority of pregnancies in Canada are considered low risk, around five to 10 percent are categorized as high risk. This classification is usually given when either the mother or the baby are at an increased risk of health problems before, during or after delivery.  What makes a pregnancy high risk"
Typically, a pregnancy will be classified as high risk if the person expecting has a specific underlying medical condition, such as hypertension, diabetes or, in my case, an autoimmune disorder. There may also be a risk identified with the baby or concerns with the development of the placenta. 
?Getting a high-risk classification doesn?t automatically mean you will have a bad outcome,? says Julia Kfouri, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, ?but it may change the course of your care.? 
Kfouri says that high-risk patients should expect increased su...