Lots of weird and unexpected stuff can happen to your body when you're pregnant. Aside from all the nausea and fatique, other lesser-known pregnancy symptoms may sneak up on you like next-level constipation, insomia, and even sudden aches and pains in places you've definitely never felt before. But lately, the moms of TikTok have been opening up about another rarely talked about pregnancy symptom known as the "pregnancy nose", and it is taking off like wildfire.
#PregnancyNose has been trending for the past few weeks
Just take a peek through the videos, and you'll see they have millions of views and comments — some from fellow moms who've been there, and others from curious onlookers who can't quite believe that this is a thing.
But the videos don't lie.
In each one, moms share before-and-after photos of their faces, both pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy. And right from the jump, it's pretty hard to deny the obvious changes.
@hellzfun It’s true #pregnancy #pregnancynose #funny #viral ♬ Devil Eyes – There I Ruined It
Their noses suddenly appeared bigger and wider
"Pregnancy nose is real and it is scary," TikTok user @ct_mota wrote.
@ct_mota It was worth it ❤️ #fyp #foryoupage #pregnancynose #pregnancy #pregnant ♬ Devil Eyes – There I Ruined It
"I’m traumatized and barely recognize my nose anymore," said another mom, who claims she feels like she has PTSD from the rapid change.
@anumrubec I’m traumatized and barely recognize my nose anymore #pregnancynose #pregnancysymptoms #pregnancyswelling #preeclampsiaawareness #preeclampsia #pregnancyedema #swellinginpregnancy #pregnant #noseswelling ♬ Devil Eyes – There I Ruined It
The videos have left other TikTokers stunned
"Are you telling me my nose can get bigger?!" one concerned TikToker asked. "Because I already have a honker and I didn’t need more reasons to be terrified of getting pregnant."
@gabyfer.s Lit me sentía cómo squidward #pregnancynose #pregnant ♬ Devil Eyes – There I Ruined It
"I didn’t know 'pregnancy nose' was a thing and now I’m concerned …," someone else added.
@mamba.basa #stitch with @heyosato cause look at the size of my nose already ✋ it’s over #pregnancynose ♬ original sound – Mamba
To be fair, some of that concern is valid
After all, the body goes through a lot of changes when you're pregnant, but watching your nose double (and maybe even triple) in size isn't exactly something most of us are prepared for.
"Not my finest hour … or 9 months," one mom quipped in her video, which now has more than 568,000 views.
@kimberr98 not my finest hour or 9 months inspo from @tabsalterego #greenscreen #pregnancy #pregnancynose ♬ Devil Eyes – There I Ruined It
"Omg this one took me out!" one user commented. "You look like a completely different person."
"Girl same," added someone else. "My face blows up every pregnancy. I’m absolutely unrecognizable."
"My pregnancy nose was OFF. THE. CHAIN," wrote someone else.
In one TikTok, a mom named Alex Jacobson walks us through what happens
While some might assume that pregnancy weight gain is to blame for this, it's actually not the culprit. In fact, Jacobson (AKA @alexjoelenejacobson) says in her video that she didn't actually gain any weight during her pregnancy and was 15 pounds lighter when she checked into the hospital than when she found out she was pregnant.
"It was not from weight gain," she explains in the clip, "but purely from swelling and all of the water I was retaining. Between all of my breakouts and how swollen my face was, my face hurt so bad."
@alexjoelenejacobson # stitch with @savannalynnbeauty #greenscreen my big pregnant nose #pregnancy ♬ original sound – Alex | Your Mom Friend
After watching her story, a lot of viewers seemed to be rethinking pregnancy altogether.
"New fear unlocked," one person said.
"Reason number 600 why I will not be having children," someone else added.
"How much is surrogacy again??" another person asked.
Doctors are now stepping forward to calm our fears
According to Christine Greves, MD, an ob-gyn from Orlando, Florida, who recently spoke with today.com, "pregnancy nose" is triggered by hormones that are heightened during pregnancy and increase dilation in blood vessels.
"[This] can result in more blood flow going to certain areas — and that’s because we need it for the uterus,” Dr. Greves told the outlet. “It’s not necessarily selective. So, some areas of our body that have mucous membranes do experience increased flow, and your nose is one of them."
If this happens to you, try not to freak out
@kendall.maffei When you find out about pregnancy nose. #pregnant #pregnancy #pregnancynose ♬ Roman Holiday Sped Up – Jadyn
The good news is, just like most pregnancy-related symptoms, this one isn't forever.
"It goes back to your normal size within six weeks (of giving birth)," Dr. Greves told Today. "I tell people to give yourself grace and expect it to be back to normal. But the timing of it just depends."
Plenty of moms on TikTok have backed this one up, too
"Has it gone back to pre pregnancy now??" one concerned TikToker asked.
"Yes!" @hellzfun assured.
"It gets bigger during and a lot more right after for a few days, but it goes back to normal slowly in like a week," @ct_mota added.
Pregnancy nose is real but I promise your nose goes back to normal https://t.co/HQZOzS5S3H pic.twitter.com/obqVJI8Z5F
— Deanna (@motherm0on) December 19, 2022
Of course, there are always some exceptions to the rule.
"Mine is definitely not the same as before," shared @anumrubec. "But I don’t think that is the case for everyone!"
One thing remains the same for all of the moms who shared their photos, though. Despite the crazy changes their body went through, many say it was more than worth it, and in the end, that's really all that matters anyway.
