Alaska governor: New son has Down syndrome

WASILLA, Alaska, April 22 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said that her fifth child, born last week, has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Palin returned to work Monday, three days after giving birth, the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News reported. She and her husband, Todd, showed Trig Paxson Van Palin to a few reporters and posed for photographs with the new arrival.

Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality, causes retardation that can be mild or severe. Children of older mothers, like the 44-year-old Palin, are more at risk.

Palin said that when she and her husband learned that the fetus she was carrying had Down syndrome "it was kind of confusing." But she said that Trig's older siblings and other relatives say he is perfect.

Palin was in Texas last week for a National Governor's Association energy conference when she showed some signs of labor, about a month before her due date. She gave a scheduled speech and returned to Alaska on Thursday, giving birth Friday morning.

Palin and her husband's other children are Track, 18 years old; Bristol, 17; Willow, 13; and Piper, 7.