Anchorage Daily News

JUNEAU -- The results of Gov. Sarah Palin's prenatal testing were in, but the doctor's tone was ominous: "You need to come to the office so we can talk about it."

Palin, known for a resolve that quickly launched her from suburban hockey mom to a player on the national political stage, said, "No, go ahead and tell me over the phone."

The physician replied, "Down syndrome," stunning the Republican governor.

Now, she said, she is trying to balance caring for her special-needs child and running the nation's largest state.

The doctor's announcement in December, when Palin was four months pregnant, presented her with a life-changing and possibly career-changing development.

"I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked," said Palin, a mother of four other children.

"It took a while to open up the book that the doctor gave me about children with Down syndrome and a while to log on to the Web site and start reading facts about the situation."

The 44-year-old governor waited a few days before telling her husband, Todd, who was out of town, so she could understand what was ahead for them.

Once her husband got the news, he told her: "We shouldn't be asking 'Why us?' We should be saying 'Well, why not us?' "

There was never any doubt the Palins would have the child, and on April 18 she gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin.

"We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

BALANCING ACT

Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the fetus's cells. It's a genetic abnormality that impedes physical, intellectual and language development.

The mother's age is a large factor in the chances of having a Down child. After a woman turns 40, the chances of having a Down child are 1 in 100, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Three days after giving birth, Palin returned to work in her Anchorage office, accompanied by Trig and her husband.

This was not a mother's typical visit to the office to show off the new baby; she was serving notice that a child of special needs will not hinder her professional commitments.

"It's a sign of the times to be able to do this," she said. "I can think of so many male candidates who watched families grow while they were in office.

"There is no reason to believe a woman can't do it with a growing family. My baby will not be at all or in any sense neglected."

Neither, Palin said, will the state as she prepares to lead deliberations for a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline.

"I will not shirk my duties," she said.

Another elected official who has a child with Down syndrome said Palin will likely have detractors but that shouldn't change ambitions for the mother or child.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., has just celebrated the first birthday of her son, Cole, her first child, who was born with Down syndrome. She is busy campaigning for a third term, and Cole often travels with her between Washington, D.C., and the Pacific Northwest.

"Cole opened my eyes to the pain and trouble a lot of families endure," Rodgers said. "He's allowed me to see people and circumstance more deeply, and the generosity of people.

"It's in human nature to focus on the negative, on what the person can't do. In our mind, we are focused on what he can do, what he will be able to do and do very well."

It's not unlike how Palin sees her child.

"I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

TRIG: Gov. Palin's office has posted more than 300 notes from well-wishers around the world.

www.gov.state. ak.us/trig.php

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