Sarah Palin, baby, fluids, risks and the doctor

Let's take a closer look at the interview of April 21, 2008 and examine some known medical facts.

Reporter: I was hoping you could walk us through a little bit about kind of what happened because he came earlier that you thought and not when and where.

Palin: And, uh, he wasn’t due for 4 or 5 weeks later and um, while I was at energy conference I felt perfectly fine but uh, had thought maybe a few things were starting to progress a little bit that perhaps there was an idea there that he might come early. So I called my doctor at about uh four in the morning in Texas and um I said ya know I’m gonna stay for the day here at the energy conference - have a speech that I was determined to give at one o’clock that afternoon and, um, had Todd check on a couple of flights that were earlier than we had scheduled.

Reporter: So did your water break?

Palin: Well, if you must know more of those type of details, but, um…

Reporter: Well, your dad said that and I saw him say it so that’s why I asked.

Palin: Well that was again if, if I must get personal, technical about this at the same time, um, it was one, it was a sign that I knew, um, could lead to uh, labor being uh kind of kicked in there was any kind of, um, amniotic leaking, amniotic fluid leaking, so when, when that happened we decided OK let’s call her.

There are times when the amniotic sac may develop a tear or may rupture causing the amniotic fluid to leak before term. When this occurs before 37 weeks, it is referred to as ‘Premature Rupture Of Membrane’ or PROM.

When the premature rupture of amniotic sac occurs, it is necessary to determine the cause of the leaking amniotic fluid. Normally, the leaking is caused by a bacterial infection or by a defect in the structure of the amniotic sac or the uterus or the cervix.

This leakage may lead to further complications for the growth of the fetus, as it may hamper the growth of the fetus and may cause bacterial infection to spread from the vagina to the uterus and consequently to the fetus.

Premature rupture of the membranes can present serious risks to mother and baby

* To the mother - the risk of infections and early delivery
* To the baby – the risk of infection, blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness, cognitive impairment and death

Other complications that could occur include compression of the umbilical cord, postpartum infection, early detachment of the placenta from the uterus.

I very much doubt that her doctor could have performed any examinations over the phone. I can't believe her doctor would have risked a major lawsuit for malpractice because Sarah Palin was determined to give a speech. Either the whole thing is a fabrication or Palin didn't take a blind bit of notice of the doctor's advice. If Sarah Palin's account is taken at face value, I'm afraid her doctor comes accross as an utterly incompetent medical practitioner.

Reporter: In the family statement that was issued by… it said through early testing you knew you would have some special needs.

Palin: Right…

Reporter: Can you explain?

Palin: Right, yeah, well, He’s got that extra chromosome, he has Down’s Syndrome.

Sarah Palin gave an interview to Christian Living recently and repeated the assertion that she learned about Trig having Down's Syndrome at 13 weeks: "But at age 43, pregnant and at 13 weeks along learning that the baby would be born with Down syndrome..."

Children with Down syndrome often have medical problems, such as chronic pulmonary hypertension, frequent infections, and pulmonary vascular overperfusion and injury due to previous or current cardiac defects. These problems all may be viewed as risk factors for high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and for the rapid development of HAPE at low altitudes. Care should be taken when children with Down syndrome travel to even moderate altitudes.

Sarah Palin clocked at least 18,000 miles in the third trimester of her pregnancy. I expect her doctor knew about Trig having Down's Syndrome before the birth and knew about the risks of high altitude for such babies...

Palin: ... and um she’s delivered how many babies over the year did she say?

Todd: Lots

Palin: A lot. It’s been a couple of decades of her delivering babies.

I don't know which is worse: either she lied about being pregnant and has since spun several further lies, giving details about her doubts, breast pumps and other little stories in an attempt to make the pregnancy believable, or she is the most reckless, stupid, clueless, callous mother imaginable.

If she was indeed pregnant and we believe her story, it doesn't look good for her or her doctor. One risks her own life and that of her unborn baby , the other risks her whole medical career.

The fact that Trig is now a healthy baby, taking Down's Syndrome into account, doesn't cancel all the risks taken.

When we put everything together, the tight abs and flat belly, this ludicrous story in the face of medical facts, the fact that the hospital used doesn't have the facilities to cope with high risk deliveries, all the inconcistencies... no, um, uh, ah, Sarah Palin can't possibly be Trig's birth mother.

Here's a video of Sarah Palin at the energy conference. Does she look like an expectant mother who had some signs that "a few things were starting to progress a little bit that perhaps there was an idea there that he might come early."? Does she look like she's leaking amniotic fluid?



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