Tiny Trig Palin a Vital Player in Mom's Political Life

Baby Trig is a key part of Sarah Palin's campaign story, underlining her real-mom image and her stance against abortion. But Palin kept the pregnancy under wraps until the seventh month, "struggling to accept that her child would be born with Down syndrome" and fearing it could undermine her popularity as governor, the New York Times reports. The paper reconstructs Palin's handling of the surprise pregnancy and delivery that bloggers have had a field day challenging.

The Times consults doctors about the much-discussed plane trip she took to Texas; despite the fact that she was leaking amniotic fluid, she was not in labor, it turns out, and had her doctor's approval. And the paper notes Palin's very unusual integration of work and children, bringing Trig to the office daily, carrying him to press events, and nursing while on conference calls. “She’s the mom and the governor, and they’re not separate,” says a friend. "Around the governor’s offices," writes the Times, "it was not uncommon to get on the elevator and discover Piper, smothering her puppy with kisses." (More Sarah Palin stories.)