Alaska ? 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 says 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.