A mum was shocked when her nose “grew like Pinocchio’s” 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 was nine months old.
The 36-year-old, who married eight months after giving birth, said her larger nose was noticeable in wedding photographs.
Two years later, the mother-of-one admits her nose is still “not the same” but is becoming deflated over time.
Gabriela Garrido, from Hackney, east London, was surprised to discover her nose had grown by a third by the time she was nine months old. In the left photo: Pre-pregnancy and right, in the last month of her pregnancy.
Gabriela shared before and after photos of her ‘pregnancy nose’ on TikTok that racked up almost half a million views.
The post, titled “one of the many joys of pregnancy,” shows Gabriela’s pre-pregnancy nose compared to now, adding that it looked much “wider and rounder” at 37 weeks pregnant.
Gabriela said: ‘My nose was wider and rounder. It filled up as if someone blew it up like a balloon.
‘I don’t know if it doubled in size, but maybe a third. It was like Pinocchio when his nose grew.
‘I was about six months pregnant and couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. I felt like my face seemed a little more swollen.
‘In that last month I thought my nose definitely looked different, especially after comparing it to old photographs.
‘I got married when my son was eight months old. I remember that was one of the times I looked at the photos and thought, “Wow. My nose is still different after pregnancy.”
Gabriela said she thought growing noses during pregnancy was just an “old wives’ tale.” Left: Her nose before pregnancy. Right: With a larger nose during the last month of pregnancy.
The business owner said she has received mostly positive comments, but she does get some hate. Above: her nose before pregnancy.
The photo shows Gabriela lovingly holding her son when he was a baby. She is now two years old and she says her nose still hasn’t gone back to what it was before.
Gabriela said she is being kinder to herself and accepts that life is “inevitably going to change a lot.” 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 close to what it was before pregnancy.’
The “pregnancy nose” is believed to be the result of a surge in hormones, which causes blood vessels to dilate and creates greater blood flow to certain areas of the body.
This increase in size is usually only temporary and most women find that their nose returns to its normal size a few weeks after giving birth; However, it has led to the condition being compared to the cartoon character Pinocchio on TikTok.
The business owner, whose son is now two, said she thought “pregnancy nose” was an old wives’ tale and was stunned when it happened to her.
Gabriela said: ‘I am Dominican. In Latin culture it is a common joke that women’s noses get bigger when they are pregnant.
The business owner, whose son is now two, 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 to it.
“It felt a little strange looking in the mirror and feeling like you don’t look the same, but I wouldn’t say I felt bad about my appearance.”
‘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 a lot.
“It wouldn’t be fair for me to feel negative about it.”
Now Gabriela shares 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 that happened.
‘Many people talk about the pregnancy glow, but I think it’s normal to not feel radiant.
‘You may not feel better, you may feel a little strange. Society’s expectation right now and the standard of beauty is to have a thin nose.
‘All noses are beautiful. It’s okay to feel strange with your new nose, but it’s not ugly.’
Despite being inundated with kind comments praising her for sharing the snaps, Gabriela said she was “shocked” by a rude comment saying: “This makes me consider getting a vasectomy,” which she has since deleted.
Gabriela said: ‘There are many men who have very unreasonable expectations and opinions about women and how they look when they are pregnant.
“I was surprised that someone could feel entitled to comment like that about a woman’s appearance and suggest that a woman would be better off not getting pregnant because her appearance might change.
“I didn’t want to risk other pregnant women seeing the comment and thinking that others might be thinking the same thing about them.”
Gabriela said that many people have praised her for showing a different side of pregnancy, but she has also received hate.
Many online users praised Gabriela for sharing the changes.
One user wrote: “Still the prettiest.”
Another commented: “I guess it’s because you have more blood in your body during pregnancy which causes swelling.”
Others expressed concern about developing a “pregnancy nose.”
One wrote: “I’ll put a tape around my nose if I get pregnant.”
Another commented: ‘Is it back to normal later?’