# Was Sarah Palin pregnant when she married? (Just the facts. No GDing please!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641 "2008-09-15T01:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/1 "2008-09-15T01:24:57Z")
I was just randomly flipping through the TV channels when I caught a few minutes of CNN’s video biography of Sarah Palin. I think they said that SP’s first child was born “almost 8 months after” she married her husband. Of course, that made me think, was she preggers before they got hitched? Or, was the kid premature? Or, did I hear it wrong? (I’ll admit I was not paying very close attention as I was watching.) Please, let’s keep this civil people. Looking for just the facts, not opinions or debates. Thanks all, in advance. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/2 "2008-09-15T01:35:51Z")
Numerous sources, none rock-solid: Wedding: August 19, 1988 Birth: April 20, 1989 Elapsed time: 7 months, 21 days ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/3 "2008-09-15T01:38:05Z")
She eloped August 29, 1988 with her High school sweetheart Todd and Track was born in April 1989. That is only a partial answer, but I hope it helps. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/4 "2008-09-15T01:38:47Z")
I think I remember Palin saying at her first campaign appearance with McCain that it was her 20th anniversary, so that would put her wedding on August 29, 1988. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/5 "2008-09-15T01:48:10Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > She eloped August 29, 1988 with her High school sweetheart Todd and Track was born in April 1989… Her stated reason her eloping was to save her parents the cost of a wedding. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/6 "2008-09-15T01:49:15Z")
Answer: She was pregnant when she was married, unless her first child was over a month premature. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/7 "2008-09-15T02:09:24Z")
Human gestation is considered to be 40 weeks, not the convenient 9 months that everyone uses. If my calculations are correct and she got pregnant on their wedding night, her son was over 6 weeks premature. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/8 "2008-09-15T02:19:54Z")
Okay, so I think we’ve pretty much settled that CNN got it right and I heard the report correctly. The kid was born over a month shy of 9 months after Sarah’s wedding. Now the question becomes, has she, Todd – or anyone – explained this situation? Has she/he/anyone declared that she was pregnant when she and her hubby got hitched? Has she/he/anyone said that Track was premature? Has anyone asked about this or brought this up before, or am I the first on the planet? Once again, just the facts please. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/9 "2008-09-15T03:05:09Z")
> [@stuyguy](#): > > Okay, so I think we’ve pretty much settled that CNN got it right and I heard the report correctly. The kid was born over a month shy of 9 months after Sarah’s wedding. > > Now the question becomes, has she, Todd – or anyone – explained this situation? Has she/he/anyone declared that she was pregnant when she and her hubby got hitched? Has she/he/anyone said that Track was premature? Has anyone asked about this or brought this up before, or am I the first on the planet? > > Once again, just the facts please. Thanks! Well, when the mommy and daddy love each other very much… What do you mean explain the facts? They were knockin’ boots. So what? Is this just another complaint that she says one thing and does another? I suppose so. One more piece of evidence that she is a hypocrite, but we already knew that. She’s got plenty of gall telling everybody else how to live, but that would be true even if she weren’t a hypocrite. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/10 "2008-09-15T03:12:43Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Well, when the mommy and daddy love each other very much… > > What do you mean explain the facts? They were knockin’ boots. So what? Is this just another complaint that she says one thing and does another? I suppose so. One more piece of evidence that she is a hypocrite, but we already knew that. She’s got plenty of gall telling everybody else how to live, but that would be true even if she weren’t a hypocrite. [Moderating] Let’s leave the political commentary out of this, as per GQ rules and as requested in the post immediately before yours. Let’s stick to factual information here, or I’ll have to consider closing or moving this thread. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/11 "2008-09-15T03:59:32Z")
Would there be any way of finding out Track’s birthweight? If he was six weeks premature, he ought to have been fairly small, although, of course, that’s not conclusive evidence one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/12 "2008-09-15T12:52:52Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Human gestation is considered to be 40 weeks, not the convenient 9 months that everyone uses. If my calculations are correct and she got pregnant on their wedding night, her son was over 6 weeks premature. Not really. Due date is calculated as 40 weeks after the first day of the last period. In reality, pregnancy averages about 38 weeks from actual conception; the 40 week figure is used because the exact date of conception isn’t always known. All of these are averages; anything from 37 to 42 weeks from the beginning of the last period is considered normal. Using the 38 week from time of conception figure: if she got pregnant on her wedding night, the baby was about 4 and a half weeks early. [Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_gestation#Duration) [Cite](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0002/ai_2602000272) [Cite](http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-07/963412871.Me.r.html) [Cite](http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=pregnan/5708) ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/13 "2008-09-15T20:36:39Z")
I do know that the wedding was so impromptu that they had no witnesses as is required in Alaska, so they went across the street and got a couple out of a nursing home to act as witnesses. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/14 "2008-09-15T20:38:21Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > Would there be any way of finding out Track’s birthweight? If he was six weeks premature, he ought to have been fairly small, although, of course, that’s not conclusive evidence one way or the other. His medical records would be on file in the hospital where he was born, but there’s no (legal) way to get ahold of this with his consent. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/15 "2008-09-15T20:43:58Z")
Who cares? I don’t see why having sex before marriage would make her a hypocrite; she hasn’t suggested any legislation to prohibit fornication. But my commenting any further would probably take us into GD territory. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/16 "2008-09-15T20:48:56Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > But my commenting any further would probably take us into GD territory. Too late. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/17 "2008-09-15T21:08:48Z")
My Granny always says, “The first one always comes early, and the second always takes the full nine months.” Or in this case, the first one comes early, and so does the fifth one. Math is FUN! ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/18 "2008-09-15T21:23:23Z")
> [@Auntbeast](#): > > My Granny always says, “The first one always comes early, and the second always takes the full nine months.” Heh. One of Heinlein’s characters said (paraphrasing from memory) “what takes a cow or a countess nine months can be accomplished in much less by an eager young bride”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/19 "2008-09-15T21:24:36Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Who cares? I don’t see why having sex before marriage would make her a hypocrite; she hasn’t suggested any legislation to prohibit fornication. But my commenting any further would probably take us into GD territory. My thoughts exactly. Why is this an issue? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641/20 "2008-09-15T21:57:11Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > I do know that the wedding was so impromptu that they had no witnesses as is required in Alaska, so they went across the street and got a couple out of a nursing home to act as witnesses. That’s romantic! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-sarah-palin-pregnant-when-she-married-just-the-facts-no-gding-please/463641.md?page=2)