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Sarah Palin's secret pregnancy nearly discovered by one of her daughters

February 17, 2009

A new biography of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, by a People magazine assistant editor, reveals that her secret pregnancy with son Trig was nearly uncovered when one of her daughters discovered Trig's prenatal ultrasound scan and confronted Palin with the picture, People.com reports.

"Sarah made one slip-up—but [she] dampened suspicion by explaining it away," says the book, "Trailblazer: An Intimate Biography of Sarah Palin," by Lorenzo Benet, which is being published Tuesday by Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions.

Palin also was aware Trig had been diagnosed with Down syndrome but did not disclose this to her four other children until Trig's birth April 18, several weeks after she went public with her pregnancy.

"Not discussing the pregnancy with her daughters, she felt, would shorten the process and spare them from unwanted attention," says the book, which was not authorized by Palin.

The book also reveals another reason Palin kept the pregnancy quiet. She tells Benet, who interviewed Palin and her family for a 2008 People cover story: "Not knowing in my own heart if I was going to be ready to embrace a child with special needs—I couldn't talk about it."

"Trailblazer" also sheds new light on the relationship between Palin's eldest daughter, Bristol, and her fiance, Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol's son, Tripp, born Dec. 27. While Bristol was pregnant last year, she was living in Anchorage with her aunt and uncle and working at two espresso shops while also attending West High School. Johnston was 40 miles away in Wasilla, but "there was certainly no ban on them dating," the book says. "Levi used to drive to Anchorage to take Bristol out."