Sarah Palin: McCain's running mate and mom of a newborn baby with Down Syndrome

Palin with her baby. Courtesy: RightPundits.com

Sarah Palin is more than John McCain's running mate and the governor of Alaska. She's also the mom of five kids, including a newborn who has Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects as many as one in every 700 infants, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Down syndrome can cause mental retardation, as well as other health problems. There are many different levels of severity in Down Syndrome so developmental problems vary as well. The Mayo Clinic says it "is the most common genetic cause of severe learning disabilities in children... Every year, as many as 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome in the United States."

Screening for Down Syndrome is often a part of traditional prenatal care. FamilyDoctor.com says that Down Syndrome occurs in more frequently in babies born to mothers over 35 because "as a woman ages, so do her eggs, which then have a higher chance of having abnormal chromosomes."

Palin found out that her son had Down Syndrome during prenatal testing, so she was prepared to care for him at his birth. To find out more about testing for Down Syndrome in pregnancy, visit familydoctor.com.

Trig Paxson Van Palin was born a month early, in April weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces. Palin released a statement  after he was born saying, "Trig is beautiful and already adored by us... We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives."