And if they hadn't survived, they wouldn't still be your friends would they? :)

As for "risk", high-risk in comparison to what? A third or so end with a C-Section.

Something which has one chance in three of requiring major surgery would (by definition) be pretty high risk by most standards. For example if I had a one-in-three chance of requiring major surgery every year I drove a car I'd find a different way to get around.

And this is before we consider all the other wonderful side effects (and risks) of Pregnancy.