Palin pregnancy rumors: what do we think?

[LBW]

My husband told me this morning of the rumors flying around the internet about the possibility that Sarah Palin's youngest son is actually her daughter's baby. I'll try to sum up the main evidence:

1. There are no public photos showing Sarah visibly pregnant. When she announced her pregnancy at 7/8 months, people who worked with her were surprised because she didn't look pregnant.
2. When she went into labor a month early, she was in Dallas. Instead of going to a local hospital, she flew to Alaska, and then drove 45 minutes to deliver at the hospital near the town she was major of. The flight attendants remarked that she was pleasant during the flight and not in visible distress.
3. Her daughter, Bristol, was out of school with mono for an extended period of time (5-8 months?) during the time her mom was supposedly pregnant.
4. There's apparently a pic of Bristol showing a small baby bump.
5. Sarah was back at work three or four days after giving birth.

I hate to think anyone would lie about something so precious as motherhood, and I think that some of this "evidence" is pretty flimsy. I know that I didn't show up to about 20/22 weeks with my third pregnancy, so I know it's possible to not look pregnant, even when you are far along. (And no way was I as fit as Sarah Palin pre-pregnancy!) But I do think it's odd that there are no pictures of such a public figure where she even looks a little bit pregnant. Also, it's just plan crazy to me that a woman would risk a long flight during labor when her due date is a month away. But, just cause I think she's nuts to have done that doesn't prove anything.

So, what do you guys think?

[icunurse]

I think it is most likely garbage....probably small town talk that now is getting attention. I know women who have barely looked pregnant right before giving birth and didn't have to buy maternity clothing at all. I also don't think Palin would have a photo op of her daugher in a tight sweater to show off a baby bump - I think her daughter is like a lot of girls in today styles which make a pooch appear as more (low cuts and clingy styles are not for every girl/woman).

I guess now she is offically part of the election because the mud-slinging has started in on her? ;)

ETA: just wanted to add that things don't add up on this, but I don't think much does on Palin. I wonder if this info on her (not faking the pregnancy, but how she went about the labor and delivery) will appear as a strong women vs poor decision-making skills?

[mum1day]

She reported that she was leaking amniotic fluid in Texas at 4 AM (a month premature), gave a speech, and then got on a commercial plane back to Alaska (8 hours) and then drove to a remote hospital (45 minutes away) to give birth. Then, after having a child with trisomy 21, returns to work 3 days later!

I'm a mother of two, who leaked amniotic fluid, something here seems very strange...

[elliput]

Interesting. Not that I want to say I doubt her word, but it just seems awfully strange. And unless she really worked on strenghtening up her abdominals after her 4th child, I just can not see how she managed to hide her pregnancy.

[bubbaray]

I saw my dr 2w before she delivered her 2nd child (at term). I couldn't tell at all. My dr is VERY slim.

Its entirely possible that her story is true. Personally, I think the rumors are scraping the bottom of the barrel and that's why the major outlets haven't picked up the story. JMHO.

[GlindaGoodWitch]

Ya know something - I was MUCH smaller with my second child than I was with my first and my kids are 19 months apart. I credit it to taking better care of myself, ie, eating less garbage, doing prenatal yoga and just that DC#2 ended up being a smaller baby.

Let's not overlook the glaringly obvious fact that a 44 year old woman is much more likely to have a Down's baby that a teen.

I'm not saying I agree with her politics or that she doesn't deserve some investigation into her ethics, business practices and history in general but I mean really. The person ultimately being hurt by all this is her child. And I find that just as offensive and sh*tty as when Clinton was in office and people thought that making fun of Chelsea was hilarious.

I guess I would expect more from a board full of mothers.

[Globetrotter]

Let's not overlook the glaringly obvious fact that a 44 year old woman is much more likely to have a Down's baby that a teen.


Yes, that certainly makes sense. It does sound fishy, but I suspect it's all rumor. My dh's boss is a female VP. She returned to work very soon after she had her second baby AND she even bought an apartment next to work to temporarily eliminate the commute from her house. High power women with means will and can make some decisions that may seem extreme to the rest of us. Just my two cents!

[kijip]

I would chalk this up to a rumor and a distraction. One it's based on conjecture with no hard evidence and two, why does it matter one way or the other?

Also, I don't think the fact she returned to work at 3 days with the baby as governor is that odd. I personally returned to work soon after T was born with my baby nearby/being brought to me so I know it is possible and sometimes necessary. I have an aunt that was back to the steel plant on Monday after giving birth late the week before. My uncle is a disabled SAHD- she had no other choice.

ETA: I went and looked at the picture that supposedly show Bristol with a bump. Have we really reached a point where every woman or girl with any tummy must be pregnant? I was super skinny in high school and always had a little tummy (no matter how much running, hiking, weight training, crunches I did- I was buff as hell). If I had worn the low rise jeans that are hip now, I would have looked similar in the waist line to Bristol in that picture.

I think her son Trig and daughter Bristol don't deserve this in the least. There are plenty of reasons not to support Palin as a candidate. I don't need, nor would I want to, drag a family in.

[LBW]

I guess I would expect more from a board full of mothers.

Whoa! This is something that's out there already. Is it wrong to discuss it? Because we're mothers we're supposed to shut up and never question anyone? Hello - she's a politician who had just opened her life and family up to the most intense, brutal scrutiny. That was HER choice.

[JTsMom]

Yesterday, I read this:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/30/121350/137/486/580223

and I haven't seen much else on it. I'm certainly not going to condem the woman until I see a lot more hard proof, and if she wasn't playing up the fact that she had a DS baby as part of her appeal, I'd say it was absolutely none of our business- even if she lied, I wouldn't care. That's a totally private thing, and nobody's business but her family's. That's the same way I feel about infidelity issues, etc. Even WITH it being part of her appeal, I still don't think it's all that important. I think it will be important to a lot of would-be voters though.

I will say, there are a lot of things about the story that have my eyebrows raised. Having had the experiences I have, I find it really hard to believe a doctor would ok her doing all of that traveling while leaking fluid- I think most doctors would say go to the hospital where you are ASAP. I think this is even more the case given her age, the Downs, which they knew about, and the fact that she was 4 weeks early. Make the speech? Sure, I can buy that, but the traveling- not so much.

Also, if I'm understanding correctly (and I've read there have been some misquotes about the back at work 3 days later, so maybe I am), she was back at work WITH the baby at 3 days. Is it typical that a 4 wk early baby with DS would be released from the hospital on day 2? I don't know, maybe it is- just asking.

Furthermore, the fact that she chose to have a somewhat higher risk delivery at a more remote, less prepared hospital seems odd to me, unless there are more issues that we don't know about- like maybe this was a VBAC and she had to be at the hospital or something- which is entirely possible too.

[Ceepa]

I carried small when I was pregnant; really small, like you couldn't tell how far along I was even in the third trimester.

It's popular to discuss items of interest about a politician (Edwards' affair, Obama-Rezko land deal, McCain leaving first wife for Cindy) but at this point the story is at best tabloid fodder.

BTW, I also heard Biden was abducted by aliens and McCain is trying to help Britney Spears regain custody of her kids .... :ROTFLMAO:

[mommy111]

BTW, I also heard Biden was abducted by aliens and McCain is trying to help Britney Spears regain custody of her kids .... :ROTFLMAO:

What???? Those were RUMORS??????
;)

[mamicka]

I guess I just don't see wither way how it even matters. If its true & her 5th child is in fact her grandchild, is this somehow bad behavior on her part? I don't get it. I would not approve of faking a pregnancy by the president while serving in office, but I don't see it as being something that says anything negative about her character if its true.

[lisams]

Why does this make me think of Desperate Housewives?!

[KBecks]

I saw the rumor on another board last night and it's an interesting theory, I think it's interesting what people can come up with, and so quickly!

I doubt it's true.

[AngelaS]

My friend has a tipped uterus and doesn't really ever look pregnant. How's that for personal info, if Gov. Palin were to come out with THAT explanation?

[Sillygirl]

I wonder if this info on her (not faking the pregnancy, but how she went about the labor and delivery) will appear as a strong women vs poor decision-making skills?

I'm torn. On one hand, I'm frustrated that the first woman on a major ticket in a generation has her childbearing and parenting practices scrutinized to a degree unthinkable for a male candidate. On the other hand, with Ms. Palin, there just isn't a lot else available on which to evaluate her.

[o_mom]

I guess I just don't see wither way how it even matters. If its true & her 5th child is in fact her grandchild, is this somehow bad behavior on her part? I don't get it. I would not approve of faking a pregnancy by the president while serving in office, but I don't see it as being something that says anything negative about her character if its true.


**IF IT WERE TRUE, WHICH I DOUBT, BUT HEY ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE**

Well - I guess to me it would say quite a bit. She lied heavily, not just about herself, but her children, including a newborn baby. She may have faked official documents (birth cert, etc.). She was not secure enough in her pro-life stance to accept that abstinence only education has failures and that there is a stigma associated with unwed/teen pregnancy. Apparently it would be too shaming for her teen daughter to have a baby without being married, but yet that is what she suggests for all the other pregnant teens out there. She was not honest enough to tell the McCain campaign to bug off when they came calling, knowing that this would be a major mess - that to me would say she was way beyond big ego land and into god-complex land if she thought nobody would ever know.

[GlindaGoodWitch]

Whoa! This is something that's out there already. Is it wrong to discuss it? Because we're mothers we're supposed to shut up and never question anyone? Hello - she's a politician who had just opened her life and family up to the most intense, brutal scrutiny. That was HER choice.

Because acknowledging and discussing it perpetuates and gives credence to it. Just because it wasn't invented on this board doesn't mean a thing one way or another.

No one told you to shut up and never question anyone.

BUT

I completely and respectfully disagree with you that simply because she's a politician she opened her family up to (what I will again disagree with is) "scrutiny". There is a line of basic decency and humanity. Or is there?

I think it's sick that someone wanted to publish pics of Diana dying in the car, not to mention the person that took the photos. It's beyond the scope of my imagination that someone would grab a prayer from the Western Wall and publish it. AND I think that accusing a teen of being pregnant and giving birth to her brother is just LOW. No matter WHO you are or what profession you've chosen.

And I will reiterate that I expected more from the members of this board because we all (presumably) have children and would (again presumably) be able to relate at how hurtful something like this would be to our own kids.

[lizajane]

disclaimer: i will not vote for palin because i am a democrat and i strongly disagree with her politics. that said-

i don't think faking a pregancy and doing what one thinks is best to protect a child has annnnnnything to do with being a politician. so even if it were true, i don't care. if my sons fathered children as teens and their partner did not want her child, i would raise him/her myself. makes NO difference to the way i feel about her as a person. or a politican. or a working mother. she loves her children (i suppose! i know nothing to the contrary!) and that is what matters.

frankly, i don't believe it for a minute and i think this sort of gossip in politics is silly. just as silly as talking about cheney's lesbian daughter. who cares? has nothing to do with politics.

ETA: i didn't wear maternity clothes in my 2nd pregnancy until 6ish months and many people said i didn't look pregnant. i have a tipped uterus, a long torso, am tall and reasonably fit.

[icunurse]

i don't think faking a pregancy and doing what one thinks is best to protect a child has annnnnnything to do with being a politician.

I think it all comes down to lies. Everyone from both parties was on Edwards case about lying/denying he had an affair and for potentially putting the Dem party at risk. That said, IF this were to be true, she is lying and putting the Rep party at risk. It is one thing to raise your grandchild (a respectable job in and of itself), but another to pretend to be pregnant and lie about it.

[lisams]

I think it all comes down to lies. Everyone from both parties was on Edwards case about lying/denying he had an affair and for potentially putting the Dem party at risk. That said, IF this were to be true, she is lying and putting the Rep party at risk. It is one thing to raise your grandchild (a respectable job in and of itself), but another to pretend to be pregnant and lie about it.

I thought lying was a pre-qualification for becoming a politician? Totally kidding!

[trales]

It is possable no one noticed she was pregant b/c she lives in a Alaska where boxer, looser fitting clothes and parkas are the norm.

Either way it will not affect my vote, there is very little out there that could make me not vote Obama/Biden.

That being said, in theory if it were the right candidate, it would be cool to have a breastfeeding, mother in a position of power. No one ever questioned JFK's ability to lead b/c he had small children.

[lizajane]

No one ever questioned JFK's ability to lead b/c he had small children.

i was thinking about presidents and their children... JFK had TWO children. and he was not a breastfeeding mother. that said, i still wonder about how his presidency (if he had not died) would have affected them. he would have missed out a lot of their growing years. sadly, he missed a lot more.

i can't remember a president with SMALL children or more than 2. am i totally blanking here? can anyone tell me the last time a president had more than 2 children? as in 4 or 5? and who, other than JFK, had children elementary and younger? it doesn't matter politically, i am just curious.

[kijip]

i was thinking about presidents and their children... JFK had TWO children. and he was not a breastfeeding mother. that said, i still wonder about how his presidency (if he had not died) would have affected them. he would have missed out a lot of their growing years. sadly, he missed a lot more.

i can't remember a president with SMALL children or more than 2. am i totally blanking here? can anyone tell me the last time a president had more than 2 children? as in 4 or 5? and who, other than JFK, had children elementary and younger? it doesn't matter politically, i am just curious.
Amy Carter was maybe 8 or so in 1976? Chelsea Clinton was 12 or thereabouts. Amy has 3 older siblings but she was the only one to live in the White House- the others were adults in 1976. Johnson's, Ford's and Nixon's kids were older either teens or adults.

FDR had a lot of kids- 6 total. But the youngest was a teen by the time he was elected.

ETA: Most of our presidents have been closer to 60 than 40 at the time they took office, so young kids in the White House is not all that typical just from a demographic standpoint...most have been done having children for a couple of decades before taking office, even if they had kids later than average in life.

[JBaxter]

My own mother hid a pregnancy for 7 1/2 months with my brother. She gained 15lbs and had a 9lb baby ( she was 21 at the time) She did it so she could get into a union at the london fog sewing factory. It wasnt that she tried to keep from gaining weight she had just weaned me and lost a bunch of weight. She also has a tipped uterus. Believe me if a whole factory of women couldnt tell she was pregnant then she really didnt look pregnant ( she did know herelf for 5 months)


I thougth in my searching for info on Palin I came across she was serious into exersize. Here is an article saying she ran 8-10 miles a day prior to finding out about her last pregnancy.

http://www.wsj.com/article/SB122002155637283431.html?mod=Leader-US

"Conventional running is my sanity," Gov. Palin says. Having recently given birth to her fifth child, the governor is trying to get back to her old workout routine. She was running 7 to 10 miles almost every day but switched to aerobics classes at her gym when she became pregnant. She has worked her way back up to running three miles every other day.

[LBW]

I completely and respectfully disagree with you that simply because she's a politician she opened her family up to (what I will again disagree with is) "scrutiny". There is a line of basic decency and humanity. Or is there?

Yes, there is a line of basic decency, but it's open to interpretation. What I believe is indecent is way different from what a CNN reporter or blogger believes. Forget tabloid reporters. I think the lines were obliterated when Ken Starr detailed in his report what was done by the president with a snickers bar. It's only gotten worse since then. Every politician and celebrity knows that once they enter the public arena, their lives, to a great extent, are no longer under their own control. I don't always think that's right. It's just the way it is.



I think it's sick that someone wanted to publish pics of Diana dying in the car, not to mention the person that took the photos. It's beyond the scope of my imagination that someone would grab a prayer from the Western Wall and publish it. AND I think that accusing a teen of being pregnant and giving birth to her brother is just LOW. No matter WHO you are or what profession you've chosen.

Yup, I agree with you 100%.



And I will reiterate that I expected more from the members of this board because we all (presumably) have children and would (again presumably) be able to relate at how hurtful something like this would be to our own kids.

I respectfully disagree with you here. Yeah, I know how hurtful this kind of thing would be to my family. That doesn't mean I shouldn't consider whether or not there's any merit to the story when we're talking about a woman who could be VP, and that's all we're doing here. Also, if I was running for VP, I'd expect to be hurt, and I'd expect my kids to be hurt. Sad, but true.

[TonFirst]

I'm a local elected official. I'm nowhere near the level of governor, of course, but when I ran for office, I was pregnant with my second child. While I didn't go out of my way to keep my pregnancy a secret, I certainly didn't advertise it.

That said, when my opponent (a man who had been in office for nearly twenty years) got wind of my delicate condition, he sent out a nasty email on the eve of the election asking the voters whether they thought a young mother with a growing family would *really* be able to be a competent official. If anything, that email backfired - I won the election by a large margin.

And as for getting back to work within a few days of having the baby, I absolutely think it's plausible. If anything, there's even more pressure on you to get back to work quickly so that you don't give anyone the opportunity to say that you can't cut it as both an elected official and a mother. I had a c-section, and I brought my blackberry to the hospital so I could at least forward constituent concerns on to the councilmembers who were covering for me during my recover, and I only missed one council meeting that took place when I was still in the hospital.

Again - I'm hardly a governor, but I completely believe that she'd want to get back to work as quickly as possible. If she didn't, people would be criticizing her for not being able to handle the demands of both her growing family and her office.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I would chalk this up to a rumor and a distraction. One it's based on conjecture with no hard evidence and two, why does it matter one way or the other?

Also, I don't think the fact she returned to work at 3 days with the baby as governor is that odd. I personally returned to work soon after T was born with my baby nearby/being brought to me so I know it is possible and sometimes necessary. I have an aunt that was back to the steel plant on Monday after giving birth late the week before. My uncle is a disabled SAHD- she had no other choice.

ETA: I went and looked at the picture that supposedly show Bristol with a bump. Have we really reached a point where every woman or girl with any tummy must be pregnant? I was super skinny in high school and always had a little tummy (no matter how much running, hiking, weight training, crunches I did- I was buff as hell). If I had worn the low rise jeans that are hip now, I would have looked similar in the waist line to Bristol in that picture.

I think her son Trig and daughter Bristol don't deserve this in the least. There are plenty of reasons not to support Palin as a candidate. I don't need, nor would I want to, drag a family in.

Agree with this 110%, well said.

[shilo]

i may not subscribe to any of the GOP's social or fiscal politics, but frankly, i just can't believe any of their officials vetting the VP candidates are that dumb. no one seriously believes that they would put this woman out there and risk the monumental fallout if the bristol/trig rumor or some of the other crazy rumors circulating (on major political blogs mind you) were actually true??? like i said, not my party and even i give them way more credit than this...

personally, i can't give this rumor any more credence than the one circulating that this is all just some big hoax and it's pre-planned that she's going to pull out after a week or two saying it's not a good thing for her family. (plenty of people want to speculate that it's all a plot to make mccain/the GOP look good for picking a woman to run - but then not actually having to follow thru with it, b/c no one would 'dare' criticize her for pulling out on the grounds that she's decided it's not what's best for her family, and if they did, it would only make the GOP come out looking rosier, yada yada...)

anyway, like i and others have said, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for me to question her qualifications and positions without needing to dig up this kind of fluff. if any of it actually turned out to be true, i'd be SHOCKED. stranger things have happened i guess, but i just don't see the vetter's/strategists missing the mark by this far.

lori

[kijip]

i may not subscribe to any of the GOP's social or fiscal politics, but frankly, i just can't believe any of their officials vetting the VP candidates are that dumb. no one seriously believes that they would put this woman out there and risk the monumental fallout if the bristol/trig rumor or some of the other crazy rumors circulating (on major political blogs mind you) were actually true??? like i said, not my party and even i give them way more credit than this...



:yeahthat:

[Georgia]

stranger things have happened i guess, but i just don't see the vetter's/strategists missing the mark by this far.

Well, the vetters didn't catch her previous position on the Bridge to Nowhere, so it's very possible a less than usual amount of pre-announcement vetting was done. Supposedly McCain staffers didn't arrive in Wasilla until today.

I don't believe the fake pregnancy rumor.

[srhs]

I thought the Post did a satisfactory job of reporting the vetting process:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/30/AR2008083002377_pf.html

[Georgia]

I thought the Post did a satisfactory job of reporting the vetting process:


Yes, that's a great description of a vetting done from afar under intense secrecy, which the campaign needed to do to preserve the surprise. It's the type of on the ground vetting where they talk to people locally that does not seem to have happened. The bridge promises made during her governor campaign were overlooked.

http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html

And it's unclear whether McCain's people know as much as they should about the ethics investigation going on now over the firing of a public safety officer.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/510080.html

[KBecks]

Yes, that's a great description of a vetting done from afar under intense secrecy, which the campaign needed to do to preserve the surprise. It's the type of on the ground vetting where they talk to people locally that does not seem to have happened. The bridge promises made during her governor campaign were overlooked.

http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html

And it's unclear whether McCain's people know as much as they should about the ethics investigation going on now over the firing of a public safety officer.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/510080.html


I feel certain they know about the ethics investigation, and I'm sure they have decided it's not a major threat.
Talking to people locally can be done via phone, etc. They don't have to send many people to Alaska to do the homework.

[Rainbows&Roses]

Her daughter is pregnant now!
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2944356420080901?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[Melbel]

I feel certain they know about the ethics investigation, and I'm sure they have decided it's not a major threat.
Talking to people locally can be done via phone, etc. They don't have to send many people to Alaska to do the homework.
:yeahthat:

nak

The bridge to nowhere and troopergate "issues" were undoubtedly publicized and easily subject to discovery before her selection as VP. Indeed, a quick google.com search revealed several articles in July 2008 regarding the troopergate issue and coverage as far back as September 22, 2007 on cnn.com for the bridge to nowhere issue.

The articles linked by a PP, as well as the majority of this board who are weighing in on the Palin threads (not to mention the press in general) are extremely biased IMO. The bridge project nearly doubled in price (from $223M to about $400M) and Congressional legislation decreased the federal portion of the bridge's funding. Indeed, in September 2007, Gov. Sarah Palin said the project was $329 million short of full funding.

I respect a politician who refuses to make decisions in a vacuum, solely for the sake of maintaining a consistent albeit ill-advised, fiscally irresponsible position. Simply put, the bridge project no longer made since due to the vastly increased price and lack of funding so she started seeking alternative options (i.e. improved ferry service to the island) notwithstanding considerable political fallout.

I also respect McCain's decision to allow off shore drilling due to the vast increase in gas prices. Obama, on the other hand, changes his positions solely for politically expediency without any underlying principled change in circumstances (i.e. campaign financing).

These "issues" are much ado about nothing other than desperate attempts to discredit Palin. Sigh.

ETA: fixed a typo

[Melbel]

Her daughter is pregnant now!
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2944356420080901?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Some simple math - if Bristol is now 5 months pregnant, then she could not be the mother of 4 month old Trig. Due to liberal mudslinging, what should be a very private matter for the daughter of a candidate is now splashed over all of the media outlets. Bristol is NOT running for office.

[srhs]

Her daughter is pregnant now!


Well I guess that answers that...tough to be 5 mos pregnant & have a 4 mos old.
Wait...maybe they are faking the pregnancy with the plan to fake a miscarriage to throw off the Trigg story...


<Is there a smiley for friendly sarcasm?>

[Georgia]

Indeed, a quick google.com search revealed several articles in July 2008 regarding the troopergate issue and coverage as far back as September 22, 2007 on cnn.com for the bridge to nowhere issue.


I don't doubt the McCain campaign can google :) and they most certainly knew about these issues in some detail beforehand. I'm questioning the thoroughness of the vetting. The alternative is that they knew that her bridge statement in her acceptance speech could be countered with local stories from the governor race and let her make it anyway. I'm not sure how that is better. And does everyone really believe McCain knew about her daughter's pregnacy beforehand? His chance to connect with values voters and he takes this large a risk? Seriously?