Gov. Sarah Palin gave birth Friday to her fifth child, a boy, about a month before her due date.
Trig Paxson Van Palin weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces. A news release from Palin's office said the 44-year-old governor and the baby are doing well and resting comfortably.
"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us," the Palin family said in a statement. "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."
Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow would not elaborate on the special challenges. She said the governor would talk with reporters early next week.
The governor went into labor Thursday while in Texas at an energy conference. Her contractions let up enough for her to fly home on Alaska Airlines to deliver her baby in Alaska, Leighow said.
The name Trig is a Norse word meaning "true" and "brave victory," Leighow said. Paxson is an area of Alaska that both Palin and her husband, Todd, feel is "one of the most beautiful spots in Alaska," she added.
Palin earlier joked about naming the baby Van Palin after the '80s rock group Van Halen.
The governor was scheduled to sign a bill on Saturday at the Lions Convention in Anchorage allowing for the redistribution of used eyeglasses. Palin will sign the bill without attending the event, she said.
"Until yesterday we were planning bill signings, and then the governor gives birth," Leighow said. "I think it caught everyone off guard."
Palin and her husband have four other children: a son, Track, 18, and three daughters, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13 and Piper, 7.
During her pregnancy, Palin modeled for the fashion magazine Vogue.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift was the nation's first governor to give birth while in office. She had twin girls in May 2001.