First-time mother reveals her nose ballooned by a third during pregnancy – and it’s still not quite the same two years later

By William On Apr 11, 2024

A mum was shocked when her nose ‘grew like Pinocchio’ during pregnancy, adding she thought it was just an ‘old wives tale’.

Gabriela Garrido, from Hackney, East London, was shocked to discover her nose had grown by a third by the time she reached the nine-month mark.

The 36-year-old, who got married eight months after giving birth, said her larger nose was visible in wedding photos.

Two years later, the mother of one admits her nose is still ‘not the same’, but it deflates over time.

Gabriela Garrido, from Hackney, East London, was shocked to discover her nose had grown by a third by the time she reached the nine-month mark. On the left of the photo: before pregnancy and on the right, in her last month of pregnancy

Gabriela shared before and after photos of her ‘pregnancy nose’ on TikTok, which racked up almost half a million views.

The post, captioned “one of the many joys of pregnancy,” shows Gabriela’s nose before pregnancy compared to now, adding that it looked a lot “wider and rounder” at 37 weeks pregnant.

Gabriela said: ‘My nose was wider and rounder. It filled up as if someone was inflating it like a balloon.

‘I don’t know if it has doubled in size, but maybe by a third. It was like Pinocchio when his nose grew bigger.

‘It was about six months into my pregnancy, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. I felt my face looked a little swollen.

‘Over the past month I thought my nose looked decidedly different, especially after comparing it to old photos.

‘I got married when my son was eight months old. I remember this was one of those times I looked at the pictures and thought, “Wow. My nose is still different after pregnancy.”

Gabriela said she thought noses getting bigger during pregnancy was just an “old wives’ tale.” Left: Her nose before her pregnancy. Right: With a larger nose during the last month of pregnancy

The business owner says she has had mostly positive reactions, but also some hate. Above: Her nose before pregnancy

Gabriela is shown lovingly holding her son as a baby. He is now two years old and she says her nose still hasn’t fully returned to its former state

Gabriela's nose before she became pregnant

Gabriela's nose in her last month of pregnancy

Gabriela said she is kinder to herself and accepts that life is “inevitably going to change so much.” Above: Left, before pregnancy and right, in her last month of pregnancy

‘It’s been two years since I had my son. I don’t think it’s exactly the same, but it’s probably similar to what it looked like before pregnancy.”

What can you expect when you’re expecting! What is a pregnancy nose and when should you see a doctor?

The phenomenon causes a woman’s nose to expand and change shape before childbirth.

It occurs due to a significant increase in the hormone estrogen, which relaxes the blood vessels in all body tissues.

It allows more blood into the tissue of the nose, making it larger.

The significant increases in hormone levels can also cause nosebleeds and a stuffy, runny or itchy nose, medically known as pregnancy rhinitis.

It affects about one in five pregnant women

It is normal to experience some swelling during pregnancy, especially in your legs, ankles, feet, nose and fingers.

According to the NHS, it is often worse at the end of the day and later in your pregnancy.

However, a sudden increase in swelling could be a sign of preeclampsia, a condition that should be checked as soon as possible, according to the NHS.

Anyone experiencing the following symptoms should contact their midwife, GP or maternity ward immediately:

A sudden increase in swelling in the face, hands or feet
Very bad headache
Vision problems such as blurred or flashing lights in your eyes
Severe pain just below your ribs
Vomiting with any of these symptoms

It is believed that a ‘pregnancy nose’ is the result of an increase in hormones, which leads to dilation of the blood vessels and increased blood flow to certain parts of the body.

This increase in size is usually only temporary and most women find that their noses return to their normal size a few weeks after giving birth. However, it has led to the condition being compared to cartoon character Pinocchio on TikTok.

The business owner, whose son is now two years old, said she thought ‘pregnancy nose’ was an old wives’ tale and was stunned when it happened to her.

Gabriela said, “I’m Dominican. It is a common joke in Latin culture that women’s noses get bigger when they are pregnant.

The business owner, whose son is now two years old, said she thought ‘pregnancy nose’ was an old wives’ tale and was stunned when it happened to her.

‘I always thought it was an old wives’ tale. When it happened to me, I thought there was some truth in this.

‘It felt a little strange to look in the mirror and feel like you don’t look the same, but I wouldn’t say I felt bad about the way I looked.

‘My approach was more to be kind to myself and accept that when you’re pregnant, especially with your first baby, life is inevitably going to change so much.

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to have a negative feeling about that.”

Now Gabriela is sharing her nose transformation journey to normalize it for other women who experience the same thing during pregnancy.

Gabriela said: ‘I just wanted to normalize these changes.

‘A lot of people talk about the pregnancy glow, but I think it’s normal not to feel radiant.

‘Maybe you don’t feel better, maybe you feel a little strange. Society’s expectation at the moment and the standard of beauty is to have a thin nose.

‘All noses are beautiful. It’s okay to feel weird about your new nose, but it’s not ugly.’

Despite being inundated with kind comments praising her for sharing the photos, Gabriela said she was “surprised” by a rude comment that read, “This is making me consider getting a vasectomy,” which she has since removed it.

Gabriela said: ‘There are many men who have very unreasonable expectations and opinions about women and what they look like when they are pregnant.

‘I was surprised by the fact that someone could feel entitled to say something like that about a woman’s appearance and suggest that it would be better for a woman not to get pregnant because her appearance could change.

“I didn’t want to risk other pregnant women seeing the comment and thinking that others might think that about them too.”