My nose ballooned when I got pregnant — it’s still not back to normal 2 years later

Expect the unexpected.

Many first-time mothers anticipate pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness, body aches, food cravings or swollen facial features. However, one new mom did not expect her swollen “pregnancy nose” to be a seemingly permanent side effect.

Gabriela Garrido, 36, noticed her facial features were slowly changing throughout her pregnancy, but once she reached nine months, she realized her nose had grown by one-third.

In a resurfaced photo carousel she posted on her TikTok account @gabyantillana, she revealed before- and after-pregnancy nose images.

“My nose was wider and more round. It filled up as if someone pumped it like a balloon,” Garrido told Kennedy News and Media. “It was like Pinocchio when his nose grows out.”

The London, England, resident didn’t realize the significant difference in her nose until late in her pregnancy.

“It was around six months into my pregnancy — I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. I felt my face just looked a bit more swollen,” she confessed.

Garrido confirmed her suspicion when she contrasted photos.

“In that last month, I thought my nose definitely looked different, especially after comparing it to old pictures,” she added.

Garrido attributes her pregnancy nose to an urban myth from her Latin roots.

“I’m Dominican. In Latin culture, it’s a running joke that women’s noses get bigger when they’re pregnant,” she explained. “I always thought it was an old wives’ tale. When it happened to me, I thought there was some truth to this.”

Pregnancy nose occurs when women experience swelling in the schnozzle due to pregnancy hormone changes, according to Ohio State Health & Discovery. “Estrogen dilates blood vessels, causing swelling around the entire body — including the nose.”

Garrido didn’t make the unexpected facial change impact her self-confidence.

“My approach was more to be kind to myself and accept that when you’re pregnant, especially with your first baby, life will inevitably change so much,” the 36-year-old said.

She assumed her enlarged nose would deflate once she delivered her son, but eight months later, her nose hasn’t reverted to its original size.

“I got married when my son was 8 months old. I remember that was one of the times I looked at the pictures and thought, ‘Wow. My nose is still different after pregnancy,'” Garrido admitted.

“It did feel a bit strange looking in the mirror feeling that you don’t look the same, but I wouldn’t say I felt bad about the way I looked.”

The new mother started to accept that her new nose was here to stay.

“It’s now two years since I’ve had my son. I don’t think it’s exactly the same, but it probably looks similar to what it looked like pre-pregnancy,” she said.

While Garrido shines a light on the changes women undergo during pregnancy, she admitted some men have left nasty comments about her appearance, with one even stooping to write, “This makes me consider getting a vasectomy.”

She deleted the rude comment to prevent other women from feeling insecure about the physical changes pregnancy does to their bodies.

“I was taken aback by how someone could feel entitled to comment something like that about a woman’s appearance and suggest it would be better for a woman not to get pregnant because her appearance might change,” the mother explained.

The post-maternity clothing brand owner wants to normalize so-called “pregnancy noses” and the unexpected changes mothers go through.

“A lot of people talk about the pregnancy glow, but I think it’s normal to not feel glowing,” Garrido said. “All noses are beautiful. It’s ok to feel strange about your new nose, but it’s not ugly.”